Second Chance
by monachopia
Summary: Rosalie Spicer is a troubled teen, and when she runs away, is rescued by a tantalizing and mysterious family. Written for Emmett, since we love him so much, and I think he needs someone more awesome than Rosalie Hale.
1. Chapter 1

I flipped the pages of my textbook back and forth, toying with the idea that had played across my mind for so long. Could I really pull it off tonight? I thought out the details as the teacher droned on. When the bell rang, interrupting my plans was when I made my decision. Tonight and no exceptions. I had taken too long already.

I walked into the cafeteria, subjecting myself to the daily torment of finding a table to sit at. I hadn't exactly made too many friends, being a poor foster child and all (getting in fights doesn't usually help either), so I ostracized myself to an empty table. Sometimes when the food wasn't good, I would sit outside on the front steps. Today the pizza was passable, so I entered the line and paid my two dollars.

No one noticed me anymore as I paused at the edge of the tables. I took a deep breath and plunged forward, into the pool of sharks. I glared at a small group of freshman about to sit down at a table. _You have other friends_, I thought. _Go sit with them._ They left reluctantly, muttering the whole time. I rolled my eyes.

After lunch, I endured my other classes. Life was boring, but I was about to shake things up. I'd always been the loner, but now, maybe I could find someplace new, fit in and get a job. When the last bell rang, I grabbed my backpack and flew outside. I caught the bus home, thankful it hadn't left without me like it sometimes did. When it dropped me off a block from my house, I unlocked the door with the spare key, and walked inside the house. No one home. Soon it would be empty again.

I ran to my foster parent's bedroom. Little did they know I had discovered their secret money stash hidden underneath their worn bed frame years ago. I'd never needed it until now. I grabbed out a few twenty dollar bills and stuffed them in my pocket. I then unloaded my backpack, dumping everything in the trash. I wouldn't need it anymore unless I was caught, and that was not an option. I'd go to jail first. Couldn't be that bad, or that different. I threw a change of clothes inside, along with a pair of my favorite sweats, a few undergarments, and a large hooded sweatshirt. I even added a few of the books I had collected over the years. A toothbrush later I shut the door behind me. Then, without looking back, I was gone.

I slipped past the elegant women and the professional businessmen, my backpack close to my chest. I was leaving. For good. Why I had stayed as long as I had, I would never know. I shivered in the cold wind, which was whistling eerily, and blowing my long, blonde hair into my face. I brushed it out of my way as I continued on. A light snow began to fall though it was now late March. Unbelievable.

Easing to the edges of town, I spotted an old rundown motel. I sighed, but it was probably my best option, and the light was beginning to fade. I walked inside, brushing the snow off of me, to the woman at the desk, who was popping a piece of gum while reading Cosmo.

"I'd like a room for one. Two nights," I told her, trying to act like I owned the place, but my tone sounded more like I was asking a question. I had no idea of the protocol used in securing a hotel room. She looked me up and down, and smirked, obviously unimpressed by me.

"One left. Must be your lucky day, "she slurred. I stared her down, waiting for the cost and the room key. After reluctantly parting with one hundred dollars of the money I had taken, I went back outside to find my room. By now it was dark, and I could scarcely see. All of the lamp posts I saw had no light bulbs in them. Even the moon was absent, hidden behind the clouds that cloaked the spooky night. My room was around the other side of the building, and in the back, where a group of trees played shadows on the ground. Perfect. Every object I saw became a demonic figure, waiting to steal me away as I walked to the back. I shuddered and followed the sign leading to rooms 21-26. My room was number 26, at the far end. Could this get any more horror movie?

As I walked up to it, I saw a man in the shadows. When I tried to play it off as my imagination, it didn't work. Apparently, the horror movie was only starting. He was still there. He was very good looking, though in a strange way. Almost _too_ attractive. His pale white skin glowed eerily in the moonlight, and I felt a sudden wave of fear. I tried to shake it off; perhaps he didn't mean any harm. From the brilliant light of the now present moon I could see his irises were a dark color. _Black as coal_. When I realized how close I must be to see his eyes, I took a step back. While I attempted to slip past him, he grabbed my arm with a painful wrench and I gasped at the freezing temperature of his skin, which caused me to drop my backpack.

"What a perfect meal. Your blood is pumping so hard now." He gave me a full smile, which chilled me to my core. What had I gotten myself into? I couldn't look away from him, couldn't run. "Are you afraid?" the man asked in a sadistic voice, full of sarcasm.

Normally, I would have replied with a sassy comment but now I couldn't move. I was frozen with fear, quite literally, if his cold skin was any indication. He bent his face down to my neck and for one second I thought he was going to kiss me. I wanted to scream, to punch him and get the hell out, but I just couldn't move. Then his lips brushed my skin, and I felt his mouth open. What the hell was happening? A scream finally built up in my diaphragm. Then he growled, (_growled?)_, and knocked me away with the back of his hand. I flew away from him and into the motel. The strength that propelled me was like a bulldozer, strength that was no way human, unless I was much, much weaker than I had thought.

My head cracked on the dirty walls and I saw a blinding flash of stars. My eyes rolled back in my head. When I could see straight again, what I saw was another man approaching me, while yet another began to attack my assailant. Had I walked into a gang fight? Or something worse? I moaned softly, feeling the pain begin to register. When he spoke, his voice sounded far away. I struggled to understand what he was saying. It might be important and it might save me.

"You'll be alright. I promise. I can help you." Those were the most comforting words I had ever heard. No one had ever promised me anything, much less my safety. His voice was like liquid gold, warm and gentle, and flowing. "What is your name?" he asked. My eyes inched upward toward his face.

Though I could barely see in the darkness, his beauty astounded me. He looked like an angel, or your classic god; a thousand times better looking than any of the 'top rated' boys at my school, even with his face twisted in pain, and…perplexity? In fact, that might have even enhanced his beauty. I wondered why he was helping me, and whether I was truly safe. But nothing that beautiful could hurt me, right? I knew that didn't make sense, but I was nearing unconsciousness. He knelt beside me, and supported my back with his hand. His touch felt like silk and granite; the strangest combination. I wrote it off as my imagination once again. With the little strength I had left, I answered him. Who would dare refuse a god like him? Especially one that had saved your life. And perhaps something more.

"Rosalie…Spicer". Even my name, which I had known for my entire sixteen years was hard to remember right now.

"Rosalie." My name rolled off his tongue like he was tasting it; it had never sounded so exotic and I wanted to hear it again. "My name is Emmett." Emmett. Even his name was god-like. Emmett, I remembered, meant strength when coming from its roots. It fit him perfectly. He was like a rock I was clinging to in a storm. "I'm going to take care of you." I could smell gasoline, and saw a sudden burst of flames. Before I could respond, and tell him that I could take care of myself, I passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke to the sound of soft voices and my eyes opened slowly. I squinted against the light, and the conversation stopped. I opened my eyes all the way and attempted to sit up, and was very gently helped by a cool hand. I looked up into the faces of…my saviors, my captors, my hosts? All of the six expressions I saw seemed very welcoming, and each face I saw was gorgeous; immaculately carved by a master sculptor. They looked like subjects from old paintings, the women like fairytale princesses, the men the knights on white steeds. I looked up at the person helping me. He seemed about twenty-five, and was far more handsome than any movie star I had ever seen. I felt my breath catch in my throat at his proximity. When he spoke, I was amazed at the clear quality of his voice; it was like singing, but….not. I listened, entranced, though his inquiries were strangely normal.

"How are you feeling Rosalie? Does your head hurt, any nausea, other symptoms…?" he asked. I shook my head slowly, figuring he was a doctor. I had learned long ago to comply with doctors. Give them the facts or they'll find it out for themselves.

"Yeah. I feel like I was hit by a bus. But…where am I?" I asked. I looked back around at the people surrounding me. Now I saw they weren't people at all. They were something more. My brow furrowed in confusion. Something wasn't right. Each had eyes that were a dark gold; I had never seen eyes so deep…they seemed to go on forever, and I was mesmerized. My eyes widened.

"What are you?" I breathed. Everyone looked at me in complete surprise. It must have been in response to my question, but how did they hear me? I'd barely moved my lips. The doctor handed me some Tylenol and a cup of water. I took the pills and drained the water quickly before I realized that I was taking pills and liquid from total strangers. I lowered the cup slowly. Where was my head?

The man I had seen before my conscious had disappeared came to sit on the bed next to me. Emmett, I remembered. I sucked in a breath. He was even more astonishing in the light. I felt my blood rush to my face, and a fierce ache of attraction welled up inside me. For some reason, I was drawn to this stranger. I shook off this new feeling. Why was I having this sensation this for someone I hadn't even met yet? The strangest feelings were sweeping over me, drowning me in their persistence, forcing my feelings toward him.

"You're in our home. After you were attacked a few nights ago we brought you back here. It was easier than going to a hospital," he said with a small smile. "This is my family. My name is Emmett Cullen; do you remember me?" I nodded though the movement caused me pain. No way could I refuse to answer my angel. That felt almost sacrilegious, though I'd never been to church in my life. "This is Carlisle." He pointed to the doctor and then gestured vaguely around the room. "Esme, Jasper, Alice and Edward."

"Hi," I said timidly. Their beauty and obvious grace made me feel like sinking into the voluminous pillows surrounding me. I turned back to Emmett and spoke softly, not looking him in the eye, instead towards Carlisle. I was scared of what might happen if I allowed myself to drown in Emmett's eyes. "What happened?"

Emmett looked at Carlisle as if for guidance, and he seemed insistent. Carlisle sighed, and looked me in the eye. I struggled to focus on the conversation.

"Rosalie, do you have anyone? Anyone you care about, any place you are going? Or are you just trying to survive?" he asked. I looked at him, star struck. How did he know? I swallowed and thought of everyone I knew.

No, I definitely didn't want to go back. Each and every one of them shared a special mutual hatred of me. I'd never made any friends, so there wasn't anyone to miss. No siblings or parents either. The closest I'd had to friendly relationships were the seniors that sometimes helped against bullies.

"No. I have no one. I…ran away. From the foster home. No one will be looking for me." I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. I decided on good. Anything was better than the foster home. Carlisle and Emmett looked pleased. I realized then that everyone else had left. "Am I staying here?"

"What do you want?" Carlisle asked. _HERE!_ I wanted to shout, _with Emmett_. But I didn't.

"I don't want to go back, ever. I'd stay anywhere else. Anywhere." My voice was fierce. Nothing about the home was bad per se, but the strangling control they had over me, the lack of freedom got to me. The monotony nearly drove me crazy.

"Then you'll stay here," Emmett said, just as fierce, though he looked at Carlisle for judgment. Carlisle sighed, seeming resigned.

"What do you think we are?" Carlisle asked, returning to my earlier query. I blinked at the bluntness of the question. How could I explain my suspicions? They were so vague and it was difficult finding the right words. I took a deep breath.

"Umm, well…I don't think you're human. Not with what I saw the other night. I don't know how to explain it other than something…supernatural. But, it's so hard to understand…" Emmett and Carlisle looked at each other. "Please tell me the truth." I hated not knowing things and I usually figured things out in the end anyway. They looked impressed and I got the feeling that they _were_ going to lie to me. I looked pleadingly at Emmett. "Please? You can trust me. I promise."

"Vampires." Emmett said, answering the question I had left unspoken, though Carlisle gave him a desperate glance as though he wished Emmett had kept his mouth shut.

"Truly?" I asked. Emmett nodded. I fell against the pillows. "Vampires." I repeated the word with awe, and reverence. Somehow, this was easy to accept. I suppose once one saw them in action, there was no other way to explain what they were. I felt confused. Shouldn't this be more difficult to accept than it was?

"Wow." I looked up, and another question rose to the surface of my mind. "Why did you save me? Why are you helping me?"

"We are a different type of vampire, Rosalie." Carlisle answered me this time. He seemed acquiescent to the fact that I now knew the truth. "As you are undoubtedly aware, vampires live off of blood. We simply use the blood of animals, in preference to the blood of humans. Some other traits of vampires are extreme speed, strength, and enhanced hearing and sight. The man that attacked you three nights ago was obviously a vampire also. But he, instead, feeds from humans. You see your position."

"Yes." I said softly. I was his dinner. Great. "But that still doesn't explain why you saved me. If you and your family are exceptions, and that man, I mean vampire," I corrected myself, "was the norm, surely you must come across occurrences like that often. Right? And you couldn't stop every murder, because, depending on the number of your species in the world, it would provoke a mutiny, or some type of war. Right? So why me?" They both looked astounded at my analysis, and I took the pause to once again appreciate Emmett's features. He had dark curly hair, and seemed to be taller than me, even while sitting down. I could see now that he had prominent dimples, and he reminded me of a child except for the fact that he was extremely muscular, and had the build of an intense weightlifter. I stared at his arms, as if I could will them to wrap around me. Carlisle's voice interrupted my thoughts and I jumped slightly.

"That is absolutely correct. You are very astute. Quite a few factors contribute. For one, my sons, Jasper and Emmett, who were your true rescuers, were already hunting this one down for preying on too many of the humans in our territory. This is our home, while most of our kind are nomads, so we must keep a low profile. This one abused our trust and made a game of being hunted. Emmett pulled him away from you, while Jasper killed him. You retained some serious damage to your head and ribs, but all seem to be healing nicely, due to the speed in which my sons delivered you." I looked gratefully back at Emmett. "You will have to stay in bed today though. Tomorrow you should be able to get up, but for now, I wouldn't recommend moving."

"Hey, are you tired? Do you want something to eat, watch a movie or something?" Emmett asked. I bit my lip, feeling the acids in my stomach roll around in the empty space when the little black haired girl, who looked about seventeen, brought in a peanut butter sandwich, chips and milk, placed them on the table, next to the bed, smiled, and left. I stared after her, confused. Emmett watched me with amused eyes. I realized Carlisle had also left. That was strange. I hadn't even heard him get up.

"That was Alice," he said.

"Oh." I looked at the sandwich longingly, not too interested in learning names just yet. Emmett grinned and handed the plate to me. Too hungry to be embarrassed, I devoured the meal with surprising speed. I heard a deep laugh, and I saw it was Emmett. I glared at him in mock anger, defending myself silently. It was amazing how comfortable I felt around him already. I had never felt laid-back around anyone. He took the plate back from me and set it on the table again.

Now full, I looked around the room I was in. It was elegantly furnished, with deep blues and reds. The carpet was a deep burgundy, almost a purple. Three walls were a light cream, while the fourth was a deep, rich sapphire hue. There was a huge flat screen TV directly across from the bed. Several paintings lay on the walls. I was lying in what appeared to be a king sized sleigh bed, with a blue satin comforter that matched the accent walls with amazing precision. All the wood furnishings were of a deep cherry color. There was a beautiful window seat with blue velvet as the seat cover. Gold pillows lay against the window.

"Wow. Who designed this? Whose room is this?" I asked. Emmett chuckled and I felt a pleasant tingling along my spine at the sound. It made me want to laugh with him.

"Esme, Carlisle's wife, designed all the rooms. And this is the guest bedroom. As of now, you're the only guest." He smiled and I think my heart may have stopped.

"Oh. It's beautiful." It fell silent as Emmett handed me the milk. I drained it as quickly as I had emptied the water glass earlier. Emmett placed it back on the table.

"So, according to Carlisle's instructions, you are to stay in bed all day, and it is my job to amuse you. Anything in mind?" Emmett said. I stared at him. He looked back. "I will never blink," he said in a slow voice, mocking me. I snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. He had quoted one of my favorite comedians, Jeff Dunham.

"A movie sounds nice, I guess. I can't do much, so…yeah. What do you have?" I asked. For some reason Emmett found this funny.

"Pretty much anything." I shrugged. "Seriously. Anything…Do you want me to pick something out?" he asked, when I looked uncomfortable.

"Sure," I said gratefully. I was very indecisive about pretty much everything. I did better if someone took the choice out of my hands, at least about something as insignificant as this. Emmett gently got up and left, going downstairs. I had barely started to lie back on the pillow when he returned, movie in his hand.

"How…what…but you…" I stuttered. He laughed; it was a great booming sound. Oh yeah, extreme speed. Vamp stuff.

"Do you want some popcorn?" he asked. I nodded, more in bewilderment than in response to his question. He left and since I knew popcorn couldn't be rushed, soaked in everything. What had happened? My world had completely changed since yesterday…or however many days it had been. I ran a hand through my hair in confusion.

That's when I realized I was completely clean. My hair smelled like flowers, and there was a sweet lotion on my skin. I was dressed in a very soft nightgown of a dark midnight blue. I looked around the room, and found a clock. 2:17 p.m.

As all of this sunk in, Emmett returned. He handed me the popcorn and put on the movie. He turned around with surprising grace, and went to sit on the bed next to me. I motioned to the pillow and repositioned myself to make room for him. He lay down gently beside me and made sure to keep us about a foot apart.

* * *

I don't remember any part of the movie. All I was aware of was Emmett's massive presence. About halfway through the movie, I mustered the entire courage I possessed, and I closed the distance between us, shaking with nerves as I did so. I attempted this with subtlety, which did not work. How in the world did I have the stupidity to try this? I must have gone insane. I should pull back now. But I still couldn't help hoping that this was the right thing to do, though I knew it was crazy. It was like someone else had taken over my body. Emmett stiffened for a moment, one terrifying moment, then relaxed and slipped his arm over my shoulders. Too shocked to comprehend this victory, I slouched against him. Then I felt the strangest sensation in my chest. It felt as though my ribcage was bursting outwards, cracking down the middle. I looked down and saw that the only movement visible was my slight breathing. Confused, I crossed my arms over my chest, and it seemed to help keep my ribs together. Wondering what in the world was going on with my body, I laid my head on his shoulder and accidentally fell asleep.

* * *

Several hours later I woke up in the same position to see Emmett watching me. I lifted my head drowsily to see the clock. 9:36 p.m. The room was completely dark. I couldn't believe I had slept so long. I still felt tired when Emmett got up and laid my body back down, my head resting on the pillow. The fine linen was soft and cool. My eyes closed again as Emmett pulled the comforter up over my shoulders. I was asleep before he finished.


	3. Chapter 3

**I forgot to put a disclaimer on the last two chapters, but hopefully this makes up for it:**

**I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, just some of the scenarios.**

**By the way; please review!**

* * *

The next morning I awoke alone. The sunlight softly flooded through the window, which was open, admitting a warm breeze, unnatural for this time of year. I walked over to the window and sat on the seat, moving a set of clothes out of the way. I took a deep breath. The air felt clean and slightly damp; springy. I looked at the clothing I had moved; a pair of jeans and a black v-neck shirt. A cream sweater was hanging on a hook next to the window. I picked up the shirt and looked at the tag where a designer name was inscribed.

I got up and walked around the room, which led to the discovery of two doors. One of them, I found, led to a hallway. The other led to a joint bathroom roughly the size of the bedroom where I used to live. _Used to live_. I was stunned to realize that I no longer thought of that place as my home. To be truthful, I never had. I felt that this was my home now. But that was absurd! I couldn't stay here, though I desperately wanted to. I had already overstayed my welcome. A houseful of vampires did not want a human hanging around. Though the thought alone made me cringe, I would have to ask for some help in securing a place to stay; there was no way I could make it on my own. But I would ask Emmett only. He would probably be the most willing to help me.

No doubt Emmett had no interest in me; he probably had some beautiful vamp chick waiting for him somewhere, but I still couldn't bear the thought of leaving this house, going back to the normal world. Everything else seemed inconsequential. I knew how insane my thoughts were; I'd known Emmett for less than a day, and I was already head over heels for him; I felt like I was diving headfirst into an ocean with no oasis, and once I drowned, well, I wouldn't ever come back up. Romeo and Juliet much? I shook my head, trying to dispel these thoughts and entered the bathroom.

After a shower, I changed into the clothing left for me and put my wet hair up into a sloppy bun using the ponytail I found inside a closet; a closet which also contained probably every beauty product ever made, and every accessory and device known to man. A whole shelf alone contained only different types of straightening and curling irons. Another was devoted to hot rollers, wet rollers and hairdryers. I shook my head and left the bathroom, feeling refreshed. A pair of black leather ankle boots rested against the door to the hallway. I looked at them for a minute, confused. I shrugged and put them on. I must have missed them before. I didn't bother to wonder how everything fit me perfectly.

I made my way down the staircase, and found myself in an elegantly furnished living room. The room had a large window and was brightly lit. I admired the soft colors for a moment before I turned right and happened upon the kitchen, which was made up with warmer colors. I found Emmett and a woman I assumed to be Esme standing by the stove, and they looked up at my entrance. We appeared to be alone. I smiled shyly and went to stand next to Emmett.

"Hello Esme, Emmett. How are you?" I asked. Emmett raised an eyebrow at my polite tone. I'd already guessed he was more of a rebel. I looked innocently up at him.

"Very good, thank you. How was your sleep?" Esme asked. I loved the way she spoke; her voice was the epitome of what I had always thought a fairy would sound like.

"Good, very good. Thank you. The room is beautiful by the way. The entire house is." And I meant it. Everything was so open and relaxed, nothing like I had ever experienced.

"Thank you Rosalie," Esme said. I blushed at my name. Rosalie was so formal.

"Rose," I corrected her. Her smile was kind and honest.

"Rose it is," she agreed. I heard a small chuckle and I looked to see Emmett grinning.

"Do you want some breakfast _Rose_?" he asked. I blushed again, but nodded gratefully.

"I'd love some. What is it?" Emmett chuckled.

"Esme's _delicious_ French toast." He leaned toward me, conspiratorially and whispered. "Her _first_ French toast. Ever." He raised his eyebrows and I laughed.

He jumped out of the way as Esme pretended to smack him with the spatula she held. I smiled, enjoying the atmosphere. Emmett seized a plate of French toast sitting next to the stove and placed it on the counter, while pouring me a glass of milk. I slipped into a barstool, and picked up the fork. I took a bite and gave Esme a thumbs-up. She beamed in modest appreciation. It really was delicious.

Emmett slid into the stool next to me. I looked at the fragile metal supporting the chair, and I looked back at Emmett, surprised his massive strength didn't break the chair. He saw me looking and winked, guessing my thoughts. He reached down and pinched a piece of the metal between two of his fingers, bending it as easily as I could bend a plastic straw, while I watched, captivated. He arched each side of the base evenly till the stool was about five inches shorter than mine. Esme turned around to give me more food and saw his accomplishment.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen! What are you doing? Those chairs are brand new and imported from Italy, no less. You had better fix those! Now!" Esme scolded. I glanced guiltily at Emmett, while he grinned at me with his dimples showing and bent to fix the chairs, looking unabashed, chuckling the whole time. That was going to take getting used to. I mentally smacked myself in the head. No! I could not be thinking about this house as a long term home. I took another bite of the toast and bit my tongue as I chewed. I winced, my light mood gone.

I finished the breakfast, and refused a second helping. Before I could take my dishes to the counter, Emmett had swept them to the sink, rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. I became aware that this was most likely the first time the kitchen had been used, since the Cullen's obviously didn't eat by any normal means. Emmett returned and helped me down from the stool. I took his offered hand and hopped down.

"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked. I looked up at him, shocked. I definitely hadn't expected that question, though I wasn't really sure what I had expected. Maybe a '_get the hell out'_ or something similar.

"I don't know," I said slowly. "What do you usually do?" I frowned. "What day is it?"

"Saturday," Emmett said. "And we pretty much do whatever we want." He cocked his head, examining me. "If you want, I can show you around," he offered. I nodded. Once again, he had taken the decision out of my hands, for which I was appreciative. We went back to the stairs. As we walked up, I noticed a large wooden cross. I stopped and stared at it, confused. It looked like it was from the end of the Renaissance era in England.

"Is that an antique?" I asked, making a move to touch it but stopped myself. It felt almost forbidden.

"In a way. Carlisle's father made it." A hint of a smile danced on his lips. "You can touch it if you want." I shook my head.

"Oh. Oh!" I grasped what he meant. "Seventeenth century?" I asked. Emmett nodded, looking a little impressed. So Carlisle was that old. Interesting. Then my heart dropped and I took a deep breath. "Emmett?" I said, looking down at the polished wood floors and bouncing on the balls of my feet while holding onto the stair railing.

"Yeah?" he asked cheerfully, watching me bounce. If he noticed my drop in emotion, he didn't mention it. I took another deep breath.

"I was wondering if you could help me find a place to stay. I don't have a lot of money, but maybe someplace around here would be cheap and maybe you could help me." I blushed. "I mean, I'm sure I've already overstayed my welcome and I-". I broke off abruptly, for when I looked up, I saw Emmett looking at me angrily and with some amount of confusion. My jaw dropped in surprise.

"Why would you think you needed to find a place to stay?" he asked. "You-you-you belong here!" At this, I met his eyes. Belonged here? A small butterfly of hope fluttered in my chest. No. I stomped on the butterfly. This wasn't my place. Even if Emmett wanted me here, I was not going to live with people I barely knew. But his next words changed my mind. "I want you to stay here Rose. Esme wants to adopt you! Everyone wants you here." But why? They didn't even know me. None of this made sense. Suddenly his expression dropped.

"Do you want to leave?" he asked, sounding like a lost child. I was amazed at the difference his expression made. From a seemingly frightening vampire, he was now more like a sad child. His dimples that I had fallen in love with were gone. Wait. What? Fallen in love with? The light at the top of the hole I'd fallen into disappeared completely; I had drowned and I felt like I had no control over my emotions anymore. Before I could stop myself, I was spitting out the truth.

"Emmett! No! Of course not!" I hastened to reassure him. Could I really stay? What did this mean? "But I don't even know you. I'm intruding! You have lives, figuratively speaking," I corrected when Emmett rolled his eyes at me, "and I-I don't know…Esme really wants to adopt me?" He nodded and I bit my lip. Could this really be my place? He wanted me? I looked up at the sky, feeling exasperated. Whoever had a hand in my fate obviously had a sense of humor, giving me my dream guy in the form of a vampire. But even as I thought this, I knew he wasn't mine. I was like a pet; Emmett probably had someone already. How could he not?

"I can stay?" I asked, still looking upwards. I could feel Emmett's eyes on me.

"Do you want to?" I nodded vehemently, against my better judgment, and looked back down at him. "Then hell yes." I laughed. Could it really be that easy? Apparently so, because Emmett didn't mention it again. We continued into a long hallway of rooms. Emmett's was the first. It looked surprisingly like a college dorm room, except twice as large and twice as expensive, and, most importantly, without a bed. I looked questioningly at him. He knew what I was asking.

"We can't sleep." He said it simply, like it didn't need any more explanation. And I guess it didn't.

"At all?" I asked. I tried to imagine life without sleep and couldn't. Sleep was the sweetest escape life offered until now.

"No."

"Oh." He was looking at me quite seriously, and I started to blush. I felt intrusive, because this might be a sensitive subject. I had guessed Emmett wasn't serious about many things. If this was one of them, had I insulted him? I bit my lip. What the hell should I do now? Then I heard a voice from the doorway.

"Emmett, it's not polite to make our guests feel anxious." I saw the one of the other boys leaning against the doorframe. Edward, or maybe Jasper. Whoever it was, he had beautiful copper hair, stylishly messed up. He was, of course, very pale and not really my type, I decided. The boy smiled widely then for some reason and I blushed, though I wasn't sure why.

"C'mon Edward." So it was Edward. "No fun. I was just messing with her." Emmett said. I glanced at him. So he liked to play jokes. I felt gullible. Edward suddenly laughed. I took a cautious step back; was he insane? He kept bursting out in random smiles and laughter.

"Hello Rose. It's nice to meet you." Edward said. I was startled with his use of my nickname, but I recovered myself. He was still laughing slightly.

"Hi Edward. It's nice to meet you too." I replied, only slightly nervous.

Has Emmett introduced you to anyone?" Edward asked. I hesitated.

"Not really. I was just getting the grand tour, you know." I gestured around vaguely.

"Well, let me show you around. I am a much better tour guide than Emmett. I don't play pranks." He gestured to the door and I followed close behind him. We left the room but Emmett walked up beside us, gently grabbing my arm.

"Hell no, _bro_! _I_ will be showing her around. Thank you very much for your _services_." He glared at Edward. "Don't you have better things to do anyway?" I gave a what-can-I-do glance at Edward as Emmett swept me away down the hall.

"Not really," Edward mumbled. I rolled my eyes. He seemed quite moody.

"Go play your piano," shouted Emmett. I stumbled after him as we stopped outside a study, furnished with cherry wood.

"This belongs to Jasper." I nodded and looked around.

"He's very charismatic." Emmett's eyebrows rose, mischievously hinting at something.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I felt like I was missing something and I didn't like it.

"He's got this gift…" Gift? What? I was so confused. Maybe I should have let Edward give me a tour.

"Huh?" Emmett grinned, enjoying my obvious confusion.

"Alice, Edward and Jasper all have special _gifts_,beyond normal vampire stuff. Alice for instance, can see the future, though her visions change depending on the decisions made by the people involved. You see?"

I swung my head up, startled. Did Alice see me coming? Is that why everyone wanted me to stay? What did she see in my future now?

"Yeah," I said softly. Emmett, apparently satisfied, nodded and moved on.

"Edward can read everyone's minds, including mine and yours. So you might want to be careful." The look of horror was probably evident on my face. I ran through the thoughts of the previous hour. Oh my God. That must be why he seemed so insane. Emmett sped up, bypassing any questions about Edward. "Jasper can sense and manipulate emotions; enhanced charisma, if you will." Whoa. Cool gift. I'd take that out of the three.

"How does that work?" I asked. Emmett shrugged.

"Carlisle thinks that we all carry over our strongest traits through the change in becoming a vampire."

"Wait," I said. This was too much information at once. "You weren't always a vampire?" I tried to remember vampire lore; how did people become vampires? Oh yeah. I think it was when they got bit by another vampire. Or was that werewolves?

"No. I grew up in Tennessee in the nineteen-twenty's." So that's where his accent came from. "I was changed in nineteen thirty-five. I was twenty." Surprised, I spoke my first thought.

"Wow. You're old." Emmett let out a booming laugh that made me jump.

"You'll get used to that," chirped a voice behind me. I turned to see the short, black haired girl. Alice.

"Hi Alice," I said shyly. Her obvious enthusiasm that she exuded intimidated me.

"Hi Rose," she sang and then embraced me. I stood in shock for a moment until she let go.

"You'll get used to that too," Emmett said, grinning. Alice rolled her eyes at him. Then a tall, lean but muscular figure appeared in the doorway behind Alice. I assumed it to be Jasper. He didn't speak, so I broke the silence first.

"Hi Jasper." Jasper kept his distance, nodding in my direction. Alice and Jasper left soon after Alice established that I was staying, with Jasper never saying a word to me. I decided not to ask Emmett about it. If Jasper held some unknown animosity towards me, I didn't want to know. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

Emmett showed me Alice and Jasper's room (they were together as a couple) but we passed by Carlisle and Esme's. When we got to Edward's room, I was boggled by the mass of CD's against one of his walls. His collection was larger than a music store, I was sure. Though I had no passion to make music, I had a passion for listening to it. I loved discovering each rhythm, and I loved interpreting and dissecting the lyrics, never taking anything at face-value. I walked over to the wall and reverently touched the CD's, running my hands along the plastic cases. They didn't seem to be in any particular order and I wonder how Edward had them organized. Preference maybe?

"Is Edward alright with me being in here?" I asked as I looked at the different names. Half of the artists I hadn't even heard of. Excitement filled me, and I wanted to cram my head with the different albums. I could have spent a week in here, listening to all of the music, never knowing how much time was passing by.

"It's fine." I jumped and turned around at the sound of Edward's voice. I blushed, nervous that he had caught me touching his possessions.

"Sorry, I was just, um…" I made a motion with my hand to demonstrate that I was daydreaming. Edward grinned.

"See anything you like?" he asked, walking over to me. Emmett sat down on a couch that lay in the middle of the room, and started flipping through a magazine, sighing. I grinned at him and shook my head, turning back to Edward.

"Yeah. Everything! This collection is amazing. How do you have it organized? Preference?" I tried to get up the nerve to ask to borrow some.

"Yes. And if you want to borrow some, go ahead." I stared at him, shocked. Then I remembered. He could read my mind. I blushed, suddenly nervous and anxious to get away. Damn! I shouldn't think that right now! I saw that Edward knew exactly what was going through my head, though he politely ignored it.

"Try these," he said, holding out a pile of about six albums. "Have you heard them?" I shook my head and accepted the CD's from him. I looked at the top one and grinned.

"Thanks," I said.

"You're welcome. Feel free to borrow some anytime."

"Thanks again," I told him.

"Done yet?" Emmett pouted. I let out a squeak of surprise. He was right behind me and I hadn't heard his approach. His silent motions were disconcerting, especially considering how big he was.

"Yeah, uh…yeah. Thanks Edward," I said as Emmett grabbed my forearm and pulled me out of the room. He took the CD's from me and threw them on the bed in the guest room. My bed. I started to ask Emmett why I just didn't sleep in his room, because I could always recline on the couch he had, but luckily stopped myself in time. I prayed Edward hadn't heard my thoughts on that particular subject as Emmett flew me back downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Soon thereafter, the Cullen's filed a document for my legal adoption. It was amazing how quickly it went through, (though I presumed a lot of money had been exchanged). My records were transferred to the local school, Forks High School; the Cullen's had just started attending about a year ago. It took only one short week to have everything set up for my transfer, but Esme and Carlisle decided that I could skip three weeks for me to get adjusted, in accordance to my injuries. Emmett informed me that there were no advanced placement classes at the high school, and since those had made up my entire curriculum in Seattle, I was far ahead of any of my classes in Forks.

Alice and I became pretty good friends, though this wasn't surprising. She seemed fascinated with just about every human she met and to have one living with her was her luxury. She enjoyed living a human life vicariously through me, with makeovers and numerous shopping extravaganzas because she didn't remember anything about her human life, unlike the rest of the Cullen's. Her tiny fairy-like physique and demeanor made it hard to refuse her anything.

I never went with her, but she would frequently show up at midnight with bags full of designer clothes. Since I had only brought one change of clothes with me, I was grateful. This rarely bothered me; except for the fact that she spent excessive amounts of money on me. I soon learned to accept this way of life though; having my smallest wish granted. Money was nothing to the Cullen's. It was just something they happened to have, and no one thought twice about throwing out a pair of three-hundred dollar jeans with a small tear or stain, or buying a motorcycle for the weekend and then donating it to something.

Edward became somewhat like a mature, very polite older brother, nothing like any of the boys I had ever known. He was alone, not having found his partner yet. He was cordial, but never found me interesting enough to go out of his way to befriend me except by the way of the CD's, by which we both shared a common interest. He almost seemed to disapprove of Emmett's relationship with me, but was still courteous.

Esme and Carlisle, on the other hand, became the parents that I never had, to coin a phrase. They were very loving to each of their 'children' and somehow, that now included me. It was a bit awkward with them, at least for me, because I was still uncertain about how to act around parents who actually cared about their child's welfare.

Emmett was more or less my boyfriend, although he was truly so much more than that. He fit into my life like the one puzzle piece that was lost for years; once found, it completed the picture. I got the impression that it was a similar situation for him. He had finally explained that he was in love with me; there actually was no vampire woman waiting for him somewhere, which made me giddy with joy, of course. Like Edward, he was alone until he found me. For me, it was exactly the same. After only a few days of living with the Cullen's, it felt as though I had always been with Emmett. I could have grown up next to him, and been with him from day one if I didn't know any better. I'm not sure how it happened.

Emmett had left my side very rarely since I had come to live with him. I think he probably sensed that I was nervous around the rest of his family at first, so we were always together, and it soon became habit. He was just _always_ there. It was a very strange change in equilibrium when he wasn't; there was no one to catch my falls, laugh at my sometimes clever comebacks or just fill up a room with his enormous presence, making the huge Cullen house seem that much less daunting.

* * *

In the three weeks of peace I had, my life became picture perfect. Esme kept me company while Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Edward went to school and I spent my nights with Emmett. Jasper, though, was a small chink in my happiness for he maintained his distance most of the time. This troubled me, especially since Alice spent so much time with me. She was his wife, his mate in a more primitive sense. Emmett had told me Jasper had the most trouble adjusting to the animal diet, and didn't want to put me in jeopardy. When I thought about that, I felt bad that he lost time with his family when I was around, so I tried to stay out of the way, usually only occupying one Cullen's attention at a time.

One night, a few days before I was scheduled to start school, when Emmett and I were sitting in the massive family room watching a movie (actually watching it, much to my disappointment), I asked him about Jasper. Everyone else had gone out to hunt, so I knew it was safe to speak without fear of Jasper overhearing.

"Emmett, I need to talk to you about Jasper." Emmett sighed. I guess he knew this would be coming, and apparently didn't like it. I pushed forward. "If all of your family is here, or at least you, where is the problem with him being around me? I'd be extremely protected with five vampires guarding me." I smiled at this. I had never thought of myself as protected before I had come here. I had always been the one protecting others. "If anything, he'll get desensitized." Emmett wasn't looking too warm towards the idea. I tried again. "I think it's a good idea. I barely even know him. I want to." I put on my best pleading face. Emmett usually fell for that. He had about as much resistance to me as I did to him.

"I don't know…It doesn't seem like such a good idea. What if something goes wrong?" I snorted. When was Emmett one to be cautious? He glared at me as he guessed my thoughts. I smiled.

"Please Emmett." I asked softly. "Please?"

"Well, maybe…" Emmett said. Studying my face, he sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But until I'm comfortable with the idea, I will always be there when he is in the room with you." There was no room for argument in his voice. For someone who was so playful with everyone else, he was generally sincere when it came to me. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever." Let's see how long that lasts.

"Yeah, _whatever_ my ass." His eyes glinted. "Or, yours. Whichever you prefer."

"You are such a pig," I said playfully. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and tickled me until I revoked my claim. Then I fell off the couch, causing Emmett to burst into boisterous laughter that seemed to echo throughout the house.

* * *

Friday night, Emmett and I went up to Jasper's study to invite Jasper to play a game with us. I stood shyly in the doorway; Jasper's tall form, almost as tall as Emmett's intimidated me. Plus, this felt somewhat like a forbidden area, where no human had gone before. I laughed at my little joke, causing Emmett to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Are you sure?" Jasper asked Emmett, glancing at me. He gestured to me to come into the room. I hesitantly stepped inside.

"It was her freaking idea. What could happen?" Jasper gave Emmett a look that clearly told him not to test fate. I grinned. I really hope Jasper agreed. I think we could get to be fast friends.

"Please Jasper. It would be really fun." I smiled up at him.

"If you think it's a good idea…" He still looked wary, but he agreed. The three of us wandered downstairs to the living room where Alice and Edward were already waiting.

When Emmett, with a wicked grin, pulled out monopoly, everyone groaned. Monopoly could go on forever. We made teams; Emmett and me, Alice and Jasper, and Edward by himself. Emmett and I didn't stand a chance. With neither of us having any 'special gift', we were hopeless.

Involuntarily, we gave away valuable properties or loads of money to Jasper and Alice after Jasper used his gift to make us feel generous. Edward knew what everyone was planning, and used that to his advantage, while Alice battled against him, knowing his next move. By the end of the game Jasper seemed to have relaxed quite a lot, and even seemed to be having fun. I shared a look with Emmett to say 'Ha! Told you so'. He glared at me. Emmett hated losing. I stuck my tongue out at him to rub it in a bit more. I knew I would probably get embarrassed later by Emmett as payback, but right now, victory felt too good to pass up the chance.

Eventually I fell asleep on Emmett's lap and he laid a blanket over me. Around three o'clock in the morning Emmett swept me up in his arms and carried me upstairs, still wrapped in the blanket.

"Did it work?" I asked sleepily, keeping a yawn out of my voice. "Do you think Jasper had fun?"

"Yeah, he did. I guess you were right," Emmett admitted reluctantly. I wanted to laugh at his tone, but it stuck in my throat. Lethargy started to overcome me. He laid me down on top of the covers and then sat next to me, his fingers dancing on my arm. He grumbled something I couldn't hear and I laughed at his poor sportsmanship.

"Of course I was right. I'm always right," I informed him.

His laugh was infectious, but I couldn't find the energy to join in.

"You wish."

I mumbled something unintelligible in response and he laughed again.

"Go to sleep," he murmured. He pushed the hair that was falling on my face behind my ears and kissed my cheek, and I felt the strangest sensation in my stomach until I fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

So this is just an author's note, and I'm really sorry about that. But I've forgotten to put a disclaimer on a few of my chapters, so I just want to assure anyone with any doubt, that I am not Stephenie Meyer and I don't own any of the characters or Twilight. Much to my disappointment; but what can you do?

As far as my story goes, I know that, aside from the fantasy aspect, there is quite a lot that doesn't make sense. For instance, why did all the Cullen's accept Rose so easily? I would question it too, if I was reading someone else's story. But I promise that things will be explained in detail later on. Just hang with me, and I promise that we will get there. So thanks for reading, and keep the reviews coming!!!! They make my day New chapter should be up soon, as long as my teacher's decide to give mercy on my assignments, and the story will actually get interesting. Well, I think it's interesting anyway. Thanks everyone.


	6. Chapter 6

The first night Emmett went out on a real hunting trip, (after the third week of living with him) it lasted an entire day and night. I said good night to those who remained at home, and climbed the stairs to bed early, after picking at my dinner, but I couldn't sleep. I walked around the room listlessly, sometimes sitting on the window seat, studying the moon, but pacing regularly. I dozed off here and there but little things kept waking me; the moonlight changing with the cloud movement, brisk wind making contact with the house, my own paranoia…

After about an hour I crawled back into bed, where I finally fell asleep and had one horrid nightmare. It was realistic, and I couldn't wake myself up, but it moved slowly; in dream speed. Everything was very choppy though it made perfect sense to my subconscious mind.

_I was in my last foster home, in my room, lying on the bed. I looked up to see Emmett standing in the middle of the room watching Jasper leave through the only door. What were they doing here? It didn't occur to me that I didn't know them yet. I wouldn't meet them until after I ran away…_

_I stood up, hoping to catch Emmett's notice. He didn't seem to see me, but I knew that was impossible. His vampire senses would have already alerted him that I was awake. He must be messing with me. I ran up beside him, pulling on his arm. He turned abruptly and walked to the door without speaking._

_I watched the back of his head with confusion. Where was the person who was made of sunshine? The person that was fazed by nothing? What was he doing? I tried chasing after him, but my legs wouldn't move. I felt like I was dragging lead weights behind me. I got to the door just as it slammed in my face. I stared at the dark, cheap wood for a moment, shocked. When I finally recovered, I opened the door to see him in the hallway, walking away casually, like he hadn't just completely rejected me. He was staring at the walls, as if looking at a museum. I felt ashamed for him to see the poverty I had lived in before I found him. I wanted to distract him. _

"_Emmett?" I asked. It was difficult getting his name out; I was unsure. I felt like I was choking. _

"_You need to leave this dream alone _Rosalie_," he sneered, looking nothing like his usual self. His face was manically twisted in a horrible, grotesque mockery of his normally cheerful face…almost monstrous. A complete opposite. That's when I realized I was dreaming. Never, never could Emmett's face look like this. _

"_You don't belong with me." The words were like a fist to my stomach, and I felt my chest implode. Suddenly the dream-like quality faded and I was sure this was real. It was what I had been waiting for, wasn't it? To be told that I wasn't wanted? I had known it was coming. I should have expected it, should have been prepared for the crushing blow. _

"_What?" My voice was barely audible. I couldn't breathe. He leveled me with a look, so uncommonly serious._

"_I. Don't. Want. You." He spoke slowly, as if I couldn't understand him. He didn't realize that the attempt at comprehension of his words was what was making me confused. _

_Then he disappeared, leaving me behind; alone. I stumbled backwards until I reached my bed. Two freezing cold hands gripped my legs. I fell to the floor and I heard him. The slimy voice of the vampire that had attacked me. He pulled me under the bed. I clawed the floor, fearing what was beneath the bed nearly as much as I was scared of being without Emmett. _

"_No!" I screamed. "Emmett! Help me!" _

_The voice cackled. I sobbed and the light disappeared. The two hands wrapped around my throat. I couldn't scream anymore…I couldn't figure out what was happening. _

"_You can be my princess, sweetie." He inhaled deeply. "Oh you smell so sweet. Just like a flowery wine…" _

_Then I was numb. Too numb to feel the teeth that penetrated my neck. I was almost thankful for the release. If Emmett didn't want me, then what use was I to the world any longer? Even so, I didn't want to go without a fight, and that was very difficult for me, to just lie there unmoving. I watched myself being grossly devoured by this monster. Watching him feed was almost as bad as watching him violate me. I couldn't decide which would have been worse. _

I couldn't wake up. It kept replaying in my head, mocking me mercilessly. There was something so terrifying about this, even excluding my death. Sure the outline of this dream had creeped into my head once or twice, but I pushed the idea back out before it could scare me. Now, stuck in dreamland, I was trapped, and I had to face my fear.

When I did wake up, it was in a cold sweat, sobbing. I turned over on my stomach and buried my head in the pillow where I had a startling epiphany. I became conscious of the fact that, once finding Emmett, I would rather die than have him leave me; or vice versa. I couldn't handle it, whether it was leaving me to a certain death, or just leaving period.

Emmett was the first person who had truly cared about me, (for the most part), and I would have no reason to live if he was gone. Life held no meaning for me without him and that terrified me. Not only was I living someone I had known for less than a month, but now I was going to trust them with my life, and keeping the meaning in it; too large a burden for anyone at this stage in a relationship, even a vampire. Especially a vampire.

I'd never had to rely on anyone for anything, and now that I did I craved it. I craved the protection and love Emmett offered like a drug. It was frightening, because now I had a weakness, one I _never_ wanted to test. I was scared to think of what would happen if Emmett left me. What would happen to me? And would leaving have the same affect on both of us? Or did Emmett just see me as a phase? God knows other people had.

I turned my face away from the pillow, and looked out the window. I took slow, even breaths, and slightly calmed down. I clutched a fistful of the nightgown I was wearing and closed my eyes. Once I had my thoughts under control, I gazed out the window, waiting, _praying_ he'd come back.

A few hours later, Emmett did return. I didn't even hear him come up the stairs, something unnerving for his massive size. He sat down beside me and I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. Emmett continued stroking my hair down my back, coaxing me to sleep. He knew I was awake, but I kept up the charade. I couldn't explain what had been in my nightmare, and I certainly didn't want to. Why put such a horrific idea in his head?

Of course, he couldn't just leave well enough alone. Two hours later, when I still hadn't fallen asleep, Emmett rolled me over on my back and put one hand on my face. Well, I couldn't keep my eyes closed after that.

"Rose, what's the matter?" he whispered gently. I clenched my hands into fists. If he kept acting so concerned, I would start crying. I could already feel my eyes imbue with tears. I made an attempt to turn my head away from him. He continued to keep his hand on my jaw until I resisted long enough. He sighed and released me. Even though I achieved what I wanted, I felt awful, and wanted to kick myself; wanted to reverse my actions so I could prevent that one little sigh, that one minute sound of unhappiness. But I couldn't. So I just rolled completely over, and ignored him, while praying he wouldn't leave.

He didn't leave my side for an instant. He stayed with me the entire night. I knew this because I didn't fall asleep or drift off for one moment. I was a little surprised that he did. I wondered if he always stayed with me. He always stayed with me until I fell asleep, but I just assumed that he left after that. Once it was light enough to be acceptable to wake up, I opened my eyes, although Emmett knew I hadn't fallen asleep. I rolled over on my back, and he eyed me worriedly. I smiled at him and he gave me a tentative smile back. We sat there for a while, until it almost became uncomfortable, because he knew I was keeping something from him, and I knew that he wanted to know what it was.

"Umm, I'm going to go take a shower now." My statement was phrased more like a question, and Emmett looked more confused than ever as I got up and headed to my bathroom. I shut the door behind me and fell against it. This was going to be a difficult secret to keep.

I took my time in the bathroom, not eager to face Emmett again. What excuse could I use? I got out of the shower and stared at myself in the mirror as I wrung out my hair with the towel. I thought about the hands wrapped around my throat and the towel dropped to the ground and I closed my eyes against the memory. Now that I had a minimal amount of control over the emotional side of the dream, the physical side was making itself known. The hands felt far, far too real around my ankles. I felt the ghost of a grasp touch me and I jumped. I clutched my hands to my chest and tried taking slow, even breaths. It took me ten minutes to relax and stand up straight again.

I managed to get dressed without another panic attack, but by this point I didn't care whether or not Emmett _wanted_ me. I _needed_ him. Immediately.

Walking back out into the room took a lot of control.

I wanted to run.

Emmett must have seen something in my face because he did the running for me. He was by my side before my hand had left the bathroom door knob. I was swept up in a hug, and I buried my head in Emmett's shoulder.

"I missed you," I said, my voice muffled.

"I missed you too," he said, his voice still confused. I sighed and turned my head, looking out the window. I was so lost that when a hawk flew by I jumped and screamed. Well, it was more of a squeak since I was so nervous a full scream was impossible.

"God," I rasped. Emmett pulled back and looked at me, his gaze steely.

"Rose?" he asked. I looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"What the hell is wrong?" From the look on his face, I wasn't getting out without an answer.

"I…had a bad dream. And it freaked me out." It was the truth. A look of relief crossed his face.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?"

Hmm. Why didn't I?

"I don't know. It just seemed silly."

He kissed my cheek and laughed at me. I looked down. I'd told the truth. I had nothing to be ashamed of but yet I knew I was lying to him. Had he known what my dream was, he would have wanted to know about it. But I let him continue assuming it was just an ordinary nightmare. I couldn't bring myself to confess my fears.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, still grinning.

No. I couldn't imagine eating anything.

"Yeah."

"Let's go get some breakfast."

"Ok. I need to…brush out my hair. I'll be there in a minute."

He nodded and grinned at me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. Then when he kissed my cheek, I froze. He laughed loudly, enjoying my reaction.

"It's just a dream, Rose. I promise," he whispered in my ear. I shivered when his cool breath hit my skin, but I stayed silent. He kissed my forehead this time and left the room, understanding my need to be alone. Usually he'd stay on my bed, or on the toilet while I brushed my hair, but I was so relieved that he let me stand there by myself for a moment, trying to organize all my thoughts and feelings.

Finally, I'd sorted everything out, and I saved my feelings of terror for nighttime, when I could be alone. I wasn't going to ruin my days with Emmett over something as silly as fear. I took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom, deciding that it was a good idea to actually brush my hair.


	7. Chapter 7

At seven Monday morning, I got up for my first day of school, not enthusiastic. I threw on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt and slipped downstairs to make myself a Pop-Tart where I was surprised by an exuberant Alice. Too exuberant. I was worried.

"Are you really planning on wearing that to school? And what happened to your hair? Is that what it always looks like when you first wake up?"

I glared at her, munching on my Pop-Tart.

"Wow. Come on, I've got all the materials ready upstairs."

I groaned. At this time, I was less than gracious. It was just school.

"Alice, it is seven freaking thirty in the morning. No one gets dressed up for school, least of all me. Seriously. C'mon. ALICE!!!" I screamed as she pulled me by my arm without mercy into the bathroom. When I emerged, Emmett was waiting for me. He whistled low, and I blushed, somewhat used to attention from guys, but still not accustomed to attention from him. Alice had dressed me in a turquoise v-neck sweater, with a pair of dark wash jeans, and knee-high gray suede boots. With her remarkable speed, she had straightened my hair and done my makeup in a mere ten minutes. I felt like Barbie. Apparently Emmett thought so too. He whistled as I exited the bathroom. I glared at him.

"Let's go Ken," I said, grabbing his arm. He twisted me around, ignoring my attempt to pull away and hugged me tightly.

"Emmett?" I gasped.

"Yeah?" he murmured.

"I. Can't. Breathe."

"Oh," he said, grinning, and let go.

Emmett and Jasper were both pretending to be juniors, while Edward, Alice and I were sophomores, so I didn't see Emmett until lunch. He handed me my schedule with reluctance.

"It was the best we could do," he said apologetically.

English

Geometry

Spanish

Chemistry

Lunch

History

Gym

I suffered through most of my classes with either Alice or Edward, except my very first class; English.

I walked into English and knew that everyone either knew who I was or was about to find out. Luckily, my teacher didn't make me stand in front of the class, or give introductions, or anything like that. I simply sat down at an empty desk and pretended to be fascinated with the chalkboard while waiting for the class to start.

By the time I reached chemistry, after stalling outside with Emmett, Alice and Edward were already sitting at a lab station together. I groaned as they looked at me with guilty faces. There was only one lab table left and it was empty, so I resigned myself to the fact that I would be working alone for the rest of the year.

The room went silent as I entered it. Most people stared at me in astonishment, some in disgust. I brushed it off and sat down at my desk, ignoring the teacher's attempts to get me in front of the class. He gave me one last annoyed look and nearly threw the textbook at me. I sighed, knowing how long this day would be. Then, just as I was ready for the final bell to ring, a shape ran through the door and stopped in front of the class, looking guiltily at the teacher, and very confused toward me. I gathered that I had just gained myself a lab partner.

The boy walked slowly toward my desk and sat his books down, looking either scared or disgusted, I wasn't sure. I knew rumors spread fast, but this was ridiculous. He sat down next to me and the teacher started to lecture on various chemical bonds. I paid attention to the teacher, but watched the boy out of my peripheral vision. He looked down at my feet and went slowly back up to my head, pausing three quarters of the way. I clenched my teeth.

He was checking me out! I couldn't believe it. We were in chemistry class for God's sake. And I was sitting down. Didn't he have any class at all? At a club or a restaurant somewhere, it might be acceptable, but in chemistry class? I ground my teeth. He looked like the overconfident football type, all muscles and no brain or courtesy. Figures. I'm not one to stereotype, but this was one typecast that had always stayed true in my experience.

Then I felt like beating my head against the table. Who was I to grate on that stereotype? I looked at the boy again. He had nearly the same build as Emmett, except shorter, and was actually pretty good looking as long as you didn't compare him to a vampire. He basically looked a lot like Emmett, and if not for the vampire factor, they could be brothers. I took a deep breath. I had practically judged my own boyfriend…or whatever relationship we had; I still wasn't sure. Then I swiveled my head up to glance at Edward, who was staring at me and grinning across the aisle. He threw a note into my lap while the teacher's back was turned and I opened it.

_While you're having an epiphany, think about what is going through the boy's mind sitting next to you_.

I looked up at the boy sitting next to me, and caught him undressing me with his eyes. Disgusted, I looked back at Edward and mouthed 'nice', while rolling my eyes, so he would get the full impact of my sarcasm. Though he wasn't looking at me anymore, his mouth curved up in a smile. Jerk.

Finally the bell rang and I nearly ran out of the classroom.

The main lunch was revolting, so I opted for the salad bar, while my adopted family waited in the regular line. It didn't matter for them. They didn't have to eat anything. They were back at their table by the time I finally reached the lettuce. A girl named Jessica, one of the 'popular' crowd, as Emmett had told me, slid in next to me, ignoring the mild protests of the people behind her. To my complete and utter surprise, she began talking to me. She seemed to be some kind of valley girl wanna-be and I stared at her in shock for a few moments, contemplating how hard she must be concentrating on sounding stupid. Then I realized that she wasn't trying.

"So, what is the deal? Did you just like fall into the Cullen's laps or what? Some new charity case they're so _generously_ taking on, like the freaky blonde boy? Are you like some kind of freak? 'Cause you know you definitely aren't as good looking as any of them. The Cullens are just a bunch of rich jerks, who have no idea what 'social interaction' is."That was about the point that I started wanting to punch her. "Trying to get their 'coolness' to rub off on you? It won't work." Her face was smug as she forked lettuce into her Styrofoam bowl. I watched her sprinkle carrots and cheese on top. "They're not even popular," she said, flipping her curly hair.

I felt a small stab of pain at her crude analysis. Her babbling had some truth. I didn't deserve their kindness, and I was a freak; I didn't fit in anywhere. Not with the humans or the vampires; what was left? I doubted I had the option of witches or werewolves. Maybe Frankenstein?

Then, I looked over to where Emmett was sitting, and I knew he had heard every stupid word out of Jessica's mouth. His normally good-natured face was twisted in anger, and frankly, the look was so scary that it frightened even me. I turned to face Jessica, with one eyebrow raised, trying to act like I couldn't care less about what she was saying, though in truth it cut me to my core; hit home, if you will. I took a deep breath and looked her in the eye.

"I hang out with them because they're my family. _They_ adopted _me_, so obviously I do belong with them," I lied. Only Jasper and Edward would know my words belied my thoughts, my words were so smooth. I was actually pretty good at this lying thing. "And what gives you the right to talk about them being jerks? Maybe they are antisocial because they know they'll just get your asshole attitude, and don't want to deal with it. God knows I understand that. And yes, I may be a freak, but at least I'm not a _bitch_."

At the end of my short speech my façade dropped, and I glared at her. I was impressed that my eyes hadn't even watered yet, though I felt my nose burning, meaning that a crying jag was coming if I didn't calm down fast.

I left my food and walked back to the table ignoring the sudden silence. So the whole cafeteria had heard our conversation. Even the lunch ladies were quiet, holding their spatulas in midair, exchanging glances with one another. I sighed as I understood that everyone had probably been anticipating a smack down when she stepped in line next to me. Emmett was still glaring at a very astonished Jessica. I sat down and rubbed his huge arm soothingly, tucking my hand into his large fist. The bands of muscle on his arm flexed threateningly, which would have turned me on a few minutes earlier. Now they just worried me….and scared me, though I would never admit it. I refused to look at Jasper, although he was probably having a lot of trouble blocking the flow of emotion in the room, instead of worrying about me.

"Hey, it's ok. You shouldn't let people like her bother you," I tried convincing Emmett. He was still focused on Jessica, watching her retreating form. He couldn't even talk. He would open his mouth, and then close it again. This happened several times.

"Seriously Em, chill. Ok?" He didn't look any happier, and he wasn't saying anything. His only response was to stare at me incredulously. I laid my head on his shoulder, murmuring comforting words. I knew he was upset because she'd insulted his entire family, so I didn't let my pain show. I simply sat with him until the bell rang. Emmett got up and gave me a kiss on the forehead, and watched me walk out with Jasper, who was waiting patiently for me by the cafeteria doors.

"You do know why he's angry don't you?" Jasper asked on the way to our only class together. I was in his history class, because I had already taken the sophomore class at my old school freshman year. I looked at him curiously.

"Yeah. But what I don't get is why he was the only one angry. She insulted your whole family; you especially!" Jasper gave me a strange look that made me feel…well it made me feel like a dumb blonde. And I wasn't an idiot. I had some of the highest grades in my class. Even more so in such a small school. Only the resident vampires through off my top score. So I glared at him until he explained, which he did after a smirk.

"We were _all_ angry. Maybe if you'd looked at us, and not stared at Emmett, you would have noticed." I blushed because he was right. I really hadn't looked at anyone besides Emmett. Jasper smirked again, provoking another glare from me. "But we _were_ furious; just not because she insulted us." This time he laughed. "We've already taken all the rumors. It doesn't really matter what they think. We couldn't care less, and don't think I'm just guessing. Each member of our family was only thinking," he paused, "_feeling_ for you. We are all mad because she insulted _you_. And don't tell me you didn't care." He gave me a pointed glance. "I would know." I looked away, embarrassed, though I felt a small wave of pleasure that he and Emmett cared so much about me; were so protective of me. Emmett was really upset because she insulted me? That none of it was about her insulting him?

Once I got past that thought, I tried to figure out if it was helpful or not having Jasper know what I was feeling. Because, when I couldn't find a way to get across what I was feeling, Jasper could translate. But at the same time, it was just as invasive having him know. I was stuck with indecision.

"It shouldn't have mattered. She's an idiot," I said, looking at my books, picking at a broken corner. A piece of cardboard fell off and floated to the ground. I watched it stick to my jeans and float off before being stepped on by the sole of my boot.

"But it still hurt, didn't it?" Jasper asked gently. I ignored his question. He already knew the answer anyway. Now that I was over the shock of the cause of Emmett's extreme reaction, I was a little annoyed. It was overdramatic, especially for him, since he took everything in stride.

"He shouldn't have been so upset. What she said about me had nothing to do with him." And it didn't. I could fight my own battles and Emmett knew it; I could kick any human's ass. Now, when facing the threat of a vampire, I could definitely use some help. Then his overreaction will be appreciated.

But at my words, Jasper turned abruptly to face me. I stared at him, startled, ignoring the flow of people who were pushing against us.

"He cares for you Rosalie. A lot. Don't ever underestimate that. He's more protective of you than you know, for all his bad jokes and good humor. How would you have felt if someone said that to Emmett?" Again, I didn't answer. Jasper already knew how furious I would be. Jasper stared at me, almost seeming angry. I shrunk back into myself a bit, preparing for what might come next, while normally I would have taken a verbal beating head on. Not to mention serve a few good punches myself.

"And tell me, please, why in the world would you ever, ever think that you didn't deserve to live with us? Why you didn't deserve to be one of us? Edward told me what you were thinking."

The denial I was about to make stuck in my throat. God damn Edward. Jasper felt the hostility rolling off me and he rolled his eyes, scowling at me.

"You aren't a 'freak'. You have found your place. It is with us, whether you are human or not. Don't ever think it's not Rose. Everyone loves you so much; we all care about you just as much as we care about Alice, or Esme. Did you ever wonder how that would hurt Esme and Carlisle, not to mention Emmett if they found out that's how you felt?"

I felt a sudden wave of guilt for thinking these things. It had never occurred to me to think about my situation that way. Jasper's voice softened.

"Rose, don't feel guilty. I know exactly why you feel that way. I felt the same things when I first became a Cullen. It's very…overwhelming."

I gave a small laugh, although I knew what he meant. We were both sort of the weaker members in our new family. I was a human, and he was controlled by his thirst.

"They are so incredibly generous; you almost believe you're _too_ lucky. And you don't want to be happy, because you think you don't deserve anything. But you do. We do," Jasper said, rolling his eyes again at how cliché his words were.

I thought about his last words as we took our seats.

"Thanks Jasper."

I thought about what he said again, and it made me feel better. Did each member of the family feel as we did? That we had much more than we deserved? I pondered for a while, staring at the wall behind the teacher. Somehow, I doubted it.


	8. Chapter 8

After school, I found Emmett and slipped my hand in his.

"Hi," I said very softly. He cracked a smile. I knew Emmett couldn't stay mad for long unless it was for a competition. Even then I think he would have a difficult time. I was jealous of his personality. In the car, Jasper and Edward sat up front, while Alice, Emmett and I sat in back.

"Tired?" he asked. I shrugged. He put one hand around my shoulders. I hadn't bothered to put on my seatbelt because Emmett's fast reflexes and strength would save my life better than any thin piece of cloth. "Any homework?" Again, I shrugged, not really having anything to say. It was school. I could tell he was making conversation, and wouldn't take my silence too seriously. Apparently he had talked to Jasper and was over his preoccupation. The rest of the ride was silent, except for Edward's music; a soft alternative song that I didn't know. Yet.

That night, Jasper and I worked together on our history homework. Actually, I worked on my homework with his help, since he had already finished his in class. Our teacher, Mr. Barnes, was way behind Jasper, who didn't even need the book. Since Jasper knew almost everything, I was sure I would ace the pop quiz that Edward had warned us about.

_I guess he is good for something_, I thought dryly.

"Hey, Rosalie. Are we still on for tonight?" Edward was at the door. I groaned. Edward was dead set on teaching me to play the piano, trying to get me interested in another way to look at music, or just to annoy the hell out of me, and I was definitely not a voluntary pupil. I looked at him pleadingly but he was unrelenting. I guess puppy-dog eyes don't work on vampires that aren't your boyfriend. I gave Jasper a martyred look and he laughed. Sighing, I got up.

"Thanks. I will definitely pass now." I reached down for my books, but Jasper had already gathered them and put them in my backpack. I smiled. Most of the family was impatient with my human speed. I slipped my backpack over my shoulder and sighed at Edward. He smiled wryly and nodded, leaving the room. "Bye," I said to Jasper. He grinned at me.

"Have fun," he told me. I stuck my tongue out at him and went downstairs, glaring at the stairs in front of me. Edward was patiently sitting at the piano, playing something I didn't recognize. He stopped as I entered the room.

"Don't stop," I told him. "That was beautiful." He smirked.

"Well, maybe if you come over here, I could teach you how to play it."

I grimaced at him. Five minutes later, he had me playing '_Mary has a little lamb'_.

"No, Rose. It's 'E' 'D' 'C', not 'E' 'C' 'C'." Edward said, slightly impatient. I groaned. Why couldn't he have the unending patience Jasper had with me?

"Come on Edward. Can I stop now? Please? I suck at the piano. Everyone knows you can only learn if you started at an early age," I moaned. But Edward shook his head.

"I refuse to accept that theory, even if it kills me."

I was beginning to think it might, judging by the expression on Edward's face.

I laid my head down on the piano in frustration. _Maybe it's almost time to quit_, I thought hopefully just as a colossal peal of thunder ripped through the house. Startled, I accidentally slammed my head onto the top of the piano.

"Damn!" I cursed, adding a few more bits of profanity to my outburst. I looked over my shoulder to see Emmett and Jasper outside the window, wrestling. Edward had already turned back to the piano. Before he could start up our previous conversation, I intervened. Being Edward, he ignored my head-butt of his beloved piano, but I could see his jaw clench. I wanted to apologize but chose not to.

"What now?" I asked, sounding exasperated. And I was exasperated. They were at it every night. _Every_ night. I swear, they were like kids.

"Jasper won an arm wrestling contest and Emmett wants a rematch. Jasper doesn't." Edward was grinning. "Emmett _really_ wants a rematch." I rubbed my temples. Even vampires are still boys. Stupid boys. I looked at the clock. 10:59. I swung my leg over the piano bench.

"Night Edward." I told him. He looked at the clock too. We were nearly a half hour past the time he had set.

"Sorry about that," Edward said; he didn't sound very sorry. I shrugged.

"Night Emmett," I called. "Night Jasper." I watched the shapes outside struggle. I smiled, loving my new family.

"Nigh-!" I heard from outside. I laughed as the word was cut off by another great boom; I presumed it was Jasper's fist.

"Goodnight Rose." Jasper's calm voice called through the open window.

I trudged upstairs, rubbing my eyes, saying goodnight to Esme and Alice in the living room, and Carlisle in his study. When I entered my bathroom, I leaned against the counter and sighed, exhausted. It took me a few minutes, but I finally stood back up, and after pulling my hair back in a loose bun, I turned on the warm water and washed my face. Whatever skin care stuff Alice gave me smelled delicious; I decided that it smelled like raspberries and lemon, and smiled when I looked at the label and found I was right. I applied the moisturizer and then brushed my teeth.

I went into my bedroom and found my pajamas stuffed under the pillow where I'd left them. I shrugged off my sweater and out of my jeans, my boots long gone, kicked off somewhere downstairs. I pulled on my shorts and sweater. Both were designer, but ridiculously comfortable. They were so soft, that I felt like I was wrapped in a fleece cloud. And they too smelled good. Not like Emmett, but still really good. Like Hollister cologne. I switched off the light and pulled back my bed covers, which too were warm. It was almost like someone had warmed them up for me, but I knew it was just the material of the blanket.

About ten minutes or so after I'd snuggled under the covers, I felt a large shape land on the bed next to me. Since Emmett was so quiet, I'd never heard him coming, and now it took me a few minutes before my heart returned to a normal pace. He chuckled at that.

"I love doing that," he murmured. I glared at him.

"You ok?" I asked sarcastically, attempting to keep a smile out of my voice. I failed. Emmett grunted, and muttered a few inaudible words. I thought I could hear some cussing, and a few comments about Jasper's manhood. I snickered, but tried to disguise it as a cough. I could see Emmett's bright eyes mockingly glare at me in the dark.

I was lying on my stomach, my head turned on the pillow to look at him but in one quick motion Emmett had uprooted me from the covers, pulled me against his chest, and flipped the comforter back over me before I could even feel a draft. My head whacked against his shoulder and I groaned. That was going to leave a mark.

"So, like your first day of Forks High School Rosie?" he asked teasingly. I groaned, both at his comment and at his nickname. Rosie. My last boyfriend had insisted on calling me that. I shook off the memory.

"I can't believe you relive high school over and over again. Once is traumatizing enough," I complained. His booming laugh filled the room.

"What else would we do?" he asked, in seemingly sincere curiosity.

"I don't know. Anything. Everything!" I said. The freedom to do anything…and spend it in school. I didn't add anything else, instead burying my head deeper in Emmett's shoulder. I breathed in his scent; deep and woodsy, though still sweet as candy. He had a rougher edge to him than the rest of his family; even his voice was rougher than theirs. Where Edward, Jasper and Carlisle had soft, clear voices, Emmett's sounded more natural, more real. Or maybe it was just my imagination. I wasn't really sure. I just knew that with him, there was no pretense.

"It gets better when you find someone to spend eternity with," he said softly, brushing my hair back behind my ears.

"Cheesy much?" I asked, though Emmett in one of his rare romantic moments was very hot and gave me pleasant shivers along my spine. I was so surprised, though expecting it at the same time, when he slid his hand behind my neck and roughly pulled my face toward his.

Then it was like the Fourth of July. Fireworks exploded and my heart rate went out of control. Scorching heat flooded my body and I felt like a nuclear bomb had just detonated, sparing only us in our own parallel universe. His mouth was hard, but somehow soft at the same time. It was definitely hungry as it pushed open my lips. I felt his cool, sweet breath enter my mouth and I sighed contentedly though I soon ran out of air and I pulled back regretfully.

I stared at him, breathing hard, stunned. He seemed as shocked as I was which surprised me. Alice told me that Emmett had had a little too much fun as a human so I thought this would be old hat to him. This was _not_ my first kiss, but it _was_ like nothing I had ever experienced.

"What took you so damn long?" I panted. He pulled my bottom lip between his lips, igniting yet another fire. When he was finished, he smirked at me.

"Alice made me," he said softly, but with an undercurrent of roughness. I shivered.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He shrugged, and it was only then that I noticed that he was sitting over me in a push-up position. I tried not to think about the relationship of our other extremities, but in my hormone intensified state, it was hard not to. He smirked again as he followed my train of thought. Sometimes I swore that he was the mind-reader, and not Edward.

"She said that you needed more time to adjust. To quote her, 'she isn't just dating someone she has just met, but she is also dating a vampire. That adds another ten layers on your relationship. Have fun unwrapping those.' I was hoping she meant literal layers, but apparently not."

His voice was perfect in its imitation of Alice. I could almost see her mischievous eyes, complete with her beaming smile. I bit my lip.

"They can be literal," I said with a grin. His golden eyes looked like the sun as they lit up when I said that. "Don't think I'm a slut, but I was ready for you to kiss me that first day." To kiss…and more.

He grinned. "I know. And of course, it was hell to hold back, but Alice threatened my manhood. So I figured it was more beneficial to us in the long run to go this route."

"Very smart," I approved.

"I'm no nerd like Jasper, but I do have common sense."

"I never said you didn't. That's what I love most about you." I stared up at him, shocked that the words had come through my mouth. Then I accepted it. I'd been thinking it for a while anyway. What did it matter if I said it out loud? Emmett, for his part, didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Which was so in character for him. He just bent down and kissed me again.

He rubbed small circles on my back, applying a bit of his immense strength. With one hand he continued to brush my hair behind my ear slowly, over and over. With the other, he continued to rub my back, gentler now. I soon fell asleep and discovered that even the kiss from Emmett wasn't enough to stop my subconscious from drawing up pictures to form a nightmare; the same nightmare I'd had every night since the night Emmett had gone out hunting for the first time.


	9. Chapter 9

After school, I found Emmett and slipped my hand in his.

"Hi," I said very softly. He cracked a smile. I knew Emmett couldn't stay mad for long unless it was for a competition. Even then I think he would have a difficult time. I was jealous of his personality. In the car, Jasper and Edward sat up front, while Alice, Emmett and I sat in back.

"Tired?" he asked. I shrugged. He put one hand around my shoulders. I hadn't bothered to put on my seatbelt because Emmett's fast reflexes and strength would save my life better than any thin piece of cloth. "Any homework?" Again, I shrugged, not really having anything to say. It was school. I could tell he was making conversation, and wouldn't take my silence too seriously. Apparently he had talked to Jasper and was over his preoccupation. The rest of the ride was silent, except for Edward's music; a soft alternative song that I didn't know. Yet.

That night, Jasper and I worked together on our history homework. Actually, I worked on my homework with his help, since he had already finished his in class. Our teacher, Mr. Barnes, was way behind Jasper, who didn't even need the book. Since Jasper knew almost everything, I was sure I would ace the pop quiz that Edward had warned us about.

_I guess he is good for something_, I thought dryly.

"Hey, Rosalie. Are we still on for tonight?" Edward was at the door. I groaned. Edward was dead set on teaching me to play the piano, trying to get me interested in another way to look at music, or just to annoy the hell out of me, and I was definitely not a voluntary pupil. I looked at him pleadingly but he was unrelenting. I guess puppy-dog eyes don't work on vampires that aren't your boyfriend. I gave Jasper a martyred look and he laughed. Sighing, I got up.

"Thanks. I will definitely pass now." I reached down for my books, but Jasper had already gathered them and put them in my backpack. I smiled. Most of the family was impatient with my human speed. I slipped my backpack over my shoulder and sighed at Edward. He smiled wryly and nodded, leaving the room. "Bye," I said to Jasper. He grinned at me.

"Have fun," he told me. I stuck my tongue out at him and went downstairs, glaring at the stairs in front of me. Edward was patiently sitting at the piano, playing something I didn't recognize. He stopped as I entered the room.

"Don't stop," I told him. "That was beautiful."

He smirked.

"Well, maybe if you come over here, I could teach you how to play it."

I grimaced at him. Five minutes later, he had me playing '_Mary has a little lamb'_.

"No, Rose. It's 'E' 'D' 'C', not 'E' 'C' 'C'." Edward said, slightly impatient. I groaned. Why couldn't he have the unending patience Jasper had with me?

"Come on Edward. Can I stop now? Please? I suck at the piano. Everyone knows you can only learn if you started at an early age," I moaned. But Edward shook his head.

"I refuse to accept that theory, even if it kills me."

I was beginning to think it might, judging by the expression on Edward's face.

I laid my head down on the piano in frustration. _Maybe it's almost time to quit_, I thought hopefully just as a colossal peal of thunder ripped through the house. Startled, I accidentally slammed my head onto the top of the piano.

"Damn!" I cursed, adding a few more bits of profanity to my outburst. I looked over my shoulder to see Emmett and Jasper outside the window, wrestling. Edward had already turned back to the piano. Before he could start up our previous conversation, I intervened. Being Edward, he ignored my head-butt of his beloved piano, but I could see his jaw clench. I wanted to apologize, but chose not to.

"What now?" I asked, sounding exasperated. And I was exasperated. They were at it every night. _Every_ night. I swear, they were like kids.

"Jasper won an arm wrestling contest and Emmett wants a rematch. Jasper doesn't." Edward was grinning. "Emmett _really_ wants a rematch." I rubbed my temples. Even vampires are still boys. Stupid boys. I looked at the clock. 10:59. I swung my leg over the piano bench.

"Night Edward." I told him. He looked at the clock too. We were nearly a half hour past the time he had 'set'.

"Sorry about that," Edward said; he didn't sound very sorry. I shrugged.

"Night Emmett," I called. "Night Jasper." I watched the shapes outside struggle. I smiled, loving my new family.

"Nigh-!" I heard from outside. I laughed as the word was cut off by another great boom; I presumed it was Jasper's fist.

"Goodnight Rose." Jasper's calm voice called through the open window.

I trudged upstairs, rubbing my eyes, saying goodnight to Esme and Alice in the living room, and Carlisle in his study. When I entered my bathroom, I leaned against the counter and sighed, exhausted. It took me a few minutes, but I finally stood back up, and after pulling my hair back in a loose bun, I turned on the warm water and washed my face. Whatever skin care stuff Alice gave me smelled delicious; I decided that it smelled like raspberries and lemon, and smiled when I looked at the label and found I was right. I applied the moisturizer and then brushed my teeth.

I went into my bedroom and found my pajamas stuffed under the pillow where I'd left them. I shrugged off my sweater and out of my jeans, my boots long gone, kicked off somewhere downstairs. I pulled on my shorts and sweater. Both were designer, but ridiculously comfortable. They were so soft, that I felt like I was wrapped in a fleece cloud. And they too smelled good. Not like Emmett, but still really good. Like Hollister cologne. I switched off the light and pulled back my bed covers, which too were warm. It was almost like someone had warmed them up for me, but I knew it was just the material of the blanket.

About ten minutes or so after I'd snuggled under the covers, I felt a large shape land on the bed next to me. Since Emmett was so quiet, I'd never heard him coming, and now it took me a few minutes before my heart returned to a normal pace. He chuckled at that.

"I love doing that," he murmured. I glared at him.

"You ok?" I asked sarcastically, attempting to keep a smile out of my voice. I failed. Emmett grunted, and muttered a few inaudible words. I thought I could hear some cussing, and a few comments about Jasper's manhood. I snickered, but tried to disguise it as a cough. I could see Emmett's bright eyes mockingly glare at me in the dark.

I was lying on my stomach, my head turned on the pillow to look at him but in one quick motion Emmett had uprooted me from the covers, pulled me against his chest, and flipped the comforter back over me before I could even feel a draft. My head whacked against his shoulder and I groaned. That was going to leave a mark.

"So, like your first day of Forks High School Rosie?" he asked teasingly. I groaned, both at his comment and at his nickname. Rosie. My last boyfriend had insisted on calling me that. I shook off the memory.

"I can't believe you relive high school over and over again. Once is traumatizing enough," I complained. His booming laugh filled the room.

"What else would we do?" he asked, in seemingly sincere curiosity.

"I don't know. Anything. Everything!" I said. The freedom to do anything…and spend it in school. I didn't add anything else, instead burying my head deeper in Emmett's shoulder. I breathed in his scent; deep and woodsy, though still sweet as candy. He had a rougher edge to him than the rest of his family; even his voice was rougher than theirs. Where Edward, Jasper and Carlisle had soft, clear voices, Emmett's sounded more natural, more real. Or maybe it was just my imagination. I wasn't really sure. I just knew that with him, there was no pretense.

"It gets better when you find someone to spend eternity with," he said softly, brushing my hair back behind my ears.

"Cheesy much?" I asked, though Emmett in one of his rare romantic moments was very hot and gave me pleasant shivers along my spine. I was so surprised, though expecting it at the same time, when he slid his hand behind my neck and roughly pulled my face toward his.

Then it was like the Fourth of July. Fireworks exploded and my heart rate went out of control. Scorching heat flooded my body and I felt like a nuclear bomb had just detonated, sparing only us in our own parallel universe. His mouth was hard, but somehow soft at the same time. It was definitely hungry as it pushed open my lips. I felt his cool, sweet breath enter my mouth and I sighed contentedly though I soon ran out of air and I pulled back regretfully.

I stared at him, breathing hard, stunned. He seemed as shocked as I was which surprised me. Alice told me that Emmett had had a little too much fun as a human so I thought this would be old hat to him. This was _not_ my first kiss, but it _was_ like nothing I had ever experienced.

"What took you so damn long?" I panted. He pulled my bottom lip between his lips, igniting yet another fire. When he was finished, he smirked at me.

"Alice made me," he said softly, but with an undercurrent of roughness. I shivered.

"Wh--what do you mean?" I asked. He shrugged, and it was only then that I noticed that he was sitting over me in a push-up position. I tried not to think about the relationship of our other extremities, but in my hormone intensified state, it was hard not to. He smirked again as he followed my train of thought. Sometimes I swore that he was the mind-reader, and not Edward.

"She said that you needed more time to adjust. To quote her, 'she isn't just dating someone she has just met, but she is also dating a vampire. That adds another ten layers on your relationship. Have fun unwrapping those.' I was hoping she meant literal layers, but apparently not."

His voice was perfect in its imitation of Alice. I could almost see her mischievous eyes, complete with her beaming smile. I bit my lip.

"They can be literal," I said with a grin. His golden eyes looked like the sun as they lit up when I said that.

He grinned. "I know. And of course, it was hell to hold back, but Alice threatened my manhood. So I figured it was more beneficial to us in the long run to go this route."

"Very smart," I approved.

"I'm no nerd like Jasper, but I do have common sense."

"I never said you didn't. That's what I love most about you." I stared up at him, shocked that the words had come through my mouth. Then I accepted it. I'd been thinking it for a while anyway. What did it matter if I said it out loud? Emmett, for his part, didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Which was so in character for him. He just bent down and kissed me again.

With one hand he continued to brush my hair behind my ear slowly, over and over. I soon fell asleep and discovered that even the kiss from Emmett wasn't enough to stop my subconscious from drawing up pictures to form a nightmare; the same nightmare I'd had every night since the night Emmett had gone out hunting for the first time.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day when I walked into English alone, I could tell it was going to be a bad day. Inside, out of the rain, I hung up my jean jacket and searched the room for a place to sit. The desks were pushed together in groups of two. I grimaced when I realized that there were only two open seats; one next to a boy I recognized as Jessica's friend Mike and her other friend Lauren. I was caught between a rock and a hard place, I noted grimly. I made a mental note to ask Edward if we could come earlier to school. I bit my lip, deciding, knowing that I looked like an idiot standing in the aisles. Why couldn't they just sit next to each other?

"Ms. Spicer?" I turned around to see a teacher standing behind me. I couldn't remember his name so I just stood there. "Would you mind taking a seat? I would like to begin my class." I nodded, embarrassed and made a quick decision. It would be Mike, because he was less likely to make catty comments.

As I took a seat next to him, he turned away and clenched his jaw, exhaling irately. I closed my eyes and took a deep, but soft breath. What a jerk. I tried not to let it bother me. After the teacher announced our assignment on a book I had already read and released us to work on our own, I pulled out a sheet of notebook paper and started doodling ideas. I was relieved when Mike moved to sit next to Lauren. His annoyed huffs were really getting on my nerves.

"What a bitch." My eyes on the desk flew up when I heard Lauren's voice behind me. "What the hell was her problem? Did she think she was too good to sit next to me or what?" I felt my jaw drop. Was she kidding? She would have been pissed if I'd sat next to her!

"I know," I heard Mike whisper. "She has designer clothes and all of a sudden she becomes like _them_."

"What do you mean?" Lauren whispered. My lungs constricted. I heard someone drag a chair over to their desks to join the conversation. Their voice entered next.

"She lived in a crappy foster home in Seattle before the Cullens adopted her. Eric read her file when he was working in the office." Their conversation continued.

"Why do you think they adopted her?"

I could feel their eyes on me.

"I think she's with the big guy, Emmett." The teacher started talking again, about what I wasn't sure, but they kept up the conversation, just lowering their voices and attempting to look inconspicuous.

"Huh, she's probably a slut. They make a good couple. Ditzy blonde, big macho moron." That was Lauren. I pulled my hands into fists, starting to shake. She was blonde too! What right did she have to talk about us like that? Emmett was smarter than all of them combined. I remembered my epiphany yesterday, and instantly felt worse.

"That's random," Mike commented, sounding confused. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, was he? Even I knew what she meant.

"It makes perfect sense. Why else would she be _living_ with him? She's just a toy. She won't last long."

I closed my eyes, ready to throw up. Did they really think I couldn't hear them? They had to know I could. They _had_ to.

"Something is so weird about her. She doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of them. They all seem really different when you look at her next to them. She looks more average." I took a deep breath, trying not to cry. I already knew all this. Did they have to rub it in my face? "They all look like supermodels, and she just….doesn't."

"I would look better with them," Lauren bragged, proud of her looks. I could almost imagine her flipping her hair. Talk about a blonde egotistical bimbo. The only reason I even thought about my looks was because of Alice. For the most part anyway.

I turned around, very angry. Who did they think they were, talking about me like that? Then, completely interrupting the teacher and their conversation, I called them out. Oh well. It wasn't like I was trying to make friends anyway.

"Would you please shut up? I am trying to listen to the teacher and your conversation is beyond distracting!"

They all stared at me in shock. I turned around and the teacher cleared his throat.

"Ms. Spicer! Shall I continue?" Without waiting for a reply, he did continue. I felt a tear fall down my face and I wiped it away angrily. Then the bell rang, thankfully.

"Bitch," Lauren sneered as she walked past me. One of the boys glared at me before winding an arm around her waist and exiting the classroom. I walked to lunch, and Alice met me on the way there. She gave me a sympathetic glance, and then politely pretended to not notice the tears that had started streaming down my face. I tried pulling it together. I tried so hard. I was not one for pity parties. No one was ever around to offer one.

I walked into the cafeteria and saw Emmett standing by the table having a very detailed conversation with Jasper. As I walked up, Jasper looked up at me, startled. I guess he could feel the wave of emotions radiating off of me. I grinned, but it had no feeling in it. Emmett turned around with a big smile on his face; one that faded when he took in my expression. He walked toward me and enveloped me in a hug. When he pulled away, he examined my face and wiped away some of the tears.

"Who do I need to beat up?" was the first thing out of his mouth. I loved hearing it. He hugged me again, and I saw Alice, Jasper and Edward talking. They mouthed something to Emmett but he ignored them, and looked down at me.

"Do you want to skip?" he asked me. I bit my lip. I had never skipped a day in my life, but today seemed a good exception. So we did, just hanging out in Edward's car until school was over. I didn't realize the tradition we started. Or maybe habit would have been a better word. We skipped so frequently the next year that I felt like I barely every went to school. Even so, my grades managed to stay consistent. Thanks to some friendly vampires.

Emmett opened the door to Edward's car for me with a bow. I grinned and slipped inside. We sat in the backseat, and Emmett reached up to the front and turned on the radio.

"So…" We were quiet for a minute, and I wanted to say something, anything to break the silence.

"A lull in conversation is considered the sign of a bad relationship," I mumbled. Emmett grinned. "What? I read it on a pamphlet once?"

"Want to play truth or dare?"

I laughed. Then I looked at his face.

"You're kidding, right?"

He shook his head and smiled.

"Truth or dare?" he asked me.

I thought for a moment, not sure which was worse. I knew I would be in over my head if I said dare, so I went with truth.

"Truth."

"Chicken."

I laughed.

"No, truth is smart. Now give it to me."

"What was your last boyfriend like?"

I should have guessed this was coming. Interrogation time. Well, I could interrogate too.

"Compared to you, or in general?"

He thought for a moment.

"Both."

I sighed.

"Well, in general, he was pretty hot. Tall. Decent kisser. A little clingy. Played the guitar in a band. Compared to you, well, he was average looking. Kind of short. Not sure about the kissing, and…is still a good guitar player."

Emmett nodded, chuckling.

"Can I ask you a favor? A dare?"

"Fine," I shrugged.

Emmett pointedly stared out the window. I looked out the window too and saw Lauren walking out to her car, probably for an appointment of some sort. He grinned. I groaned.

"I dare you to pretend to let me take advantage of you when Lauren walks by. Roll down the windows."

I pushed the automatic button on the door, not sure why.

I grinned and he kissed my forehead, which I guessed signaled approval, or happiness, or something. I wasn't sure why I was doing this. Especially since I had been so upset about them thinking I was a slut. But in a way, I kind of wanted to make them think the worse, just to prove that they judged people so harshly. I knew it didn't make any sense; hell, it didn't make any sense to me, but for some reason I wanted to do it anyway.

She walked by and Emmett pushed me onto the floor of the car and I giggled as he kissed my cheeks and neck. He started tickling me.

"Emmett! Oh Emmett! Stop! Oh God!"

I would have killed to see Lauren's face. We continued. About five minutes later, we heard her car leave the parking lot. We sat up.

"God, she watched forever."

"That," Emmett said, "was priceless. You are, hands down, the best girlfriend ever."

"Why thank you. Thank you very much. Okay, so my turn. Truth or dare? And I get two turns too."

Emmett thought.

"Truth and dare."

"Okay. Truth….how many girls have you slept with?"

He pretended to count. I smacked his hand, starting to feel nervous.

"How many?" I asked again. Emmett was quiet for a minute.

Now I wasn't sure I wanted the answer.

"Four," he answered, only a bit reluctantly. I sighed, relieved. It was less than I had expected.

"Who were they?"

"That's two questions."

"Fine. I dare you to let me ask more questions on this round."

He nodded and I was glad I didn't have to specify a number. I wasn't sure how many questions I would have to ask.

"The first girl was my girlfriend. We'd been together for two years, and we were about seventeen. We did it three times. Second and fourth ones were one-night stands. I was drunk. I knew both of the girls, but we lost contact after the nights."

"The third girl?" I asked quietly. I guess I hadn't expected this…honesty. A few sentences had made me dizzy; I was uncomfortable picturing all these girls with Emmett.

"The third one was my brother's girlfriend." My head snapped up. He grimaced at me. "I had just broken up with my girlfriend."

"The first girl?"

"Yeah, her. So I was upset, and my brother's girlfriend was there when I got home from school one day…and it just happened."

"How many times?"

"Twice. My brother found out and beat the shit out of me. It wasn't like I didn't deserve it."

"Wow."

"Not exactly what you wanted to hear, is it?"

I shook my head.

"Just kind of…unexpected."

"I made a lot of mistakes when I was a human. I guess becoming a vampire teaches you a few things."

"Guess so," I said, not really listening. He'd had sex seven times. I felt extremely naïve and incredibly innocent. I leaned back against the seat, feeling like I had a really bad hangover.

Seven. It wasn't that big of a number. It really wasn't. But to someone who was still hanging onto their virginity…it might as well have been a million.

"Was that too much?" he asked. I shook my head, and tried not to freak out. _Seven_ times.

"Nope. You're turn. I pick truth again."

He was silent for a moment.

"Have you ever slept with anyone?"

I didn't want to answer, mostly because I still thought about that night so much…and the guy. I still cared about him so much…but not nearly as much as I cared about Emmett, which was a little consolation, but not quite enough.

"No. Almost, once. But I kind of freaked out. That was why we broke up. Jason got mad at me for-"

"You freaked out? Was it just-"

"No! No, it wasn't. I wanted to do it, but…I, uh, he touched my arm."

Emmett nodded as if this made perfect sense.

"The scars?"

I nodded. They were nearly gone, but for a vampire, I'm sure they were clear as day. Jason had gotten so angry once he'd found out. Angry that I'd lied to him. And he'd broken it off. Before I could patch up our relationship, I'd run away.

"Yeah. I used to be a cutter." The word was dirty, and I spat it out. "But I stopped years ago," I swore. I was scared that they might not want me. After all, who wants a problem teen? No one. Emmett was quiet. I didn't know if it was because I had given too much information or he was just waiting for me to say something.

"Is that okay?" I asked hesitantly. He smiled at me, and put a freezing hand on the side of my face.

"Why wouldn't it be? Look, Rose, we all had problems. So yours are a little more recent. Who cares? We took in Jasper, and who wants an out of control vampire? A few old scars are nothing."

"Thanks," I murmured.

"Okay, my turn. I pick dare."

"I dare you to…tell me something secret. Something that you haven't told anyone."

I wondered if there was anything. Emmett was the most open person I knew.

"Why are there no physical dares?" he grumbled. I laughed. "Okay, the last time I went to college, as a vampire, I went to a party and there was a drinking contest. I out-drank everyone. I think I drank about…seventy beers in an hour."

I laughed again.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? You would have been gloating. I know you."

He grinned.

"Well, the word was spread all around campus about the crazy drinker that didn't die, and I thought it was cool that no one knew it was me. My family still doesn't know. I never think about it when Edward's around, so it's like my little secret. Well, our little secret. Promise not to tell?"

"Sure," I laughed. "But that's it? That's the only thing you've never told anyone?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

He reclined against the door and I did the same on the opposite side. I propped my feet up on his lap and sighed. He reached for my foot and took one shoe off. Then he took the other one off.

"Ew," he fake-gagged. "Do you ever wash your feet?"

I glared at him, and he laughed. He started rubbing my feet.

"You do realize that you are totally whipped," I informed him.

He grinned.

"What's wrong with being whipped? Ever?"

I thought on this a moment and smiled.

"That was a great boyfriend thing to say."

"I try," he told me. We sat and listened to the music. His hands felt so good. I drifted off, looking out the window, not really thinking of anything. I absentmindedly drummed an incoherent pattern with my fingers on the seat. Emmett hummed under his breath. I closed my eyes and drifted in that awful place between sleep and consciousness.

Once school was over, everyone else came out to the car. Jasper sat in the back with us, while Alice sat up in the front with Edward. Alice and Edward talked about something funny that happened at school today.

"Rose?"

"Yeah Jasper?" I mumbled sleepily.

"I hope it's alright, but I changed your file so that it shows that you weren't absent."

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Thanks." Jasper shrugged and I smiled. "Is it easy?" Jasper was a bit smug.

"Yes. All you have to do is run in, grab the file, change the notation, and run in and replace the file."

"Well, I couldn't do it. So thanks. It'll be nice to have perfect attendance," I grinned.

We reached the house and Emmett pushed me across the seat and I slid out smoothly, landing perfectly on the pavement.

"Good boy," I complimented him. He grinned and lifted up my backpack from the car. We walked into the house and he set our bags down by the kitchen counter. Alice trotted in after us, followed by a brooding Edward and a thoughtful Jasper.

"A snack?" Emmett proposed.

"Sure," I said. He raised his eyebrows.

"Any _suggestions_?"

I flipped him off and he raised his eyebrows even higher, if that was possible.

"I am offering," he said as he came around toward me, "to make you a snack!" He viciously attacked my stomach with light, tickling fingers. I laughed and screamed at him. "Not smart, my dear. Not smart at all."

"Emmett!" I laughed. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry."

"Now why don't I believe you?"

I shrugged, still wriggling.

"I don't know. You should believe me."

"But for some reason I still don't."

"Then I think your sense of judgment is impaired. You should have that checked out. It's a very serious issue. At least there's a doctor in the house. Or there will be anyway. As soon as Carlisle gets home."

He glared at me.

"Do you want to make your own snack?"

"Sure, why not?" I asked. I smirked at Emmett and he rolled his eyes at me.

I grabbed the box of crackers he had pulled out off the counter, went to the fridge and grabbed out the cheese. I made about four mini-sandwiches and poured myself a glass of juice while Emmett watched. I picked them up, displayed them to him and walked into the family room where Jasper sat alone, reading. Alice and Edward were both in the living room and Esme was outside in the garden. I plopped down on a couch, set my plate and cup on a table and leaned back.

"It sounded like you were being attacked," Jasper murmured into his book.

"Glad to know if I was attacked, you would always be there to rescue me," I mumbled, my mouth full of cheese and crackers. He flashed a smile at his book.

"Well, normally I'd leave that to Emmett, but…"

"But he's usually not the one attacking me." I finished his sentence.

"Exactly."

"What kind of cheese is this? It's really good." I looked down at my mini-sami, trying to distinguish based on appearance.

"I believe it's some form of goat cheese."

I spat my mouthful onto my plate. Goat cheese? Ew.

"What's the difference if it comes from a goat or a cow?" Jasper chuckled.

"Because cows are…cows. And goats are…ew Jasper. Goat cheese?"

"Specific," Jasper muttered. "Very specific."

I rolled my eyes at him and took a swallow of juice. Goat cheese. Ugh. Jasper shook his head and chuckled. Emmett came in and sat down.

"T.V.?"

He asked in a tone of voice that suggested that he had already decided that he wanted to. I shrugged and he turned on the huge plasma television. Emmett pulled me onto his lap. He hit the guide button and flipped through the channels. I closed my eyes, not really seeing anything good on.

"Bored?" Jasper asked me. I shook my head.

"Nope. Just relaxing."

I opened my eyes and then narrowed them.

"Why would you have to ask that?"

He grinned.

"Just checking to see if you were a true blonde."

My mouth fell open as I tried to make a retort, but I couldn't think of anything. So instead I just flipped him off. Emmett chuckled.

"Two in one day? Damn girl, who shoved a stick up your ass?"

"Uh!" I shoved him, and, very kindly, he pretended that it actually hurt.


	11. Chapter 11

The rest of the week at school was quite similar to the first day, only without any direct approaches from the student body, and a lot more snow and ice. Gossiping voices followed me everywhere. I tried ignoring them, but I couldn't disregard the glances, or glares, I was receiving from almost everyone. As I sat in geometry, I calculated the days until summer break. Only about seven weeks. I grimaced as I thought about how the number corresponded to the amount of sexual encounters Emmett had been privy to, but then smiled as I realized how short of a time seven weeks was. I practically skipped to lunch when the bell rang, realizing this.

My pleasure was contagious. Emmett was grinning and chuckling as he saw me and Alice skip up to lunch. Alice had been ecstatic with my change in mood.

"Hey babe. Who died and made you so happy?" Emmett asked, looking sideways at Jessica and her friends. The rest of his family heard this, and frowned.

I grinned.

"Summer break is only seven weeks away!" I exclaimed. Everyone looked at me.

"Isn't that a long time in human time?" Jasper asked. I shrugged.

"Not really," I said. "Because technically, it's less than two months."

"Two months counting only school days," Edward muttered. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Well, if you're going to be pessimistic about it."

Everyone laughed except Edward.

"Haven't you noticed that Edward is pessimistic about everything?" Emmett asked me. I grinned.

"You know, I think I have noticed that."

Everyone laughed again, except for Edward, who rolled his eyes at me yet again.

All of the Cullen's had waited for me, and now stood up to go in the lunch line. Emmett walked beside me, and his great six foot, five inch form was probably intimidating enough to keep away anyone from me. Emmett looked down at me, (my shorter five-eight) and chuckled, as if guessing my thoughts. Emmett got two burgers and I grabbed a water. I told him about my day so far, (there wasn't much to tell), and he listened patiently, with a small grin on his face. Apparently my exuberance was amusing because I was actually excited to tell him what I'd learned in Geometry and Spanish (something unprecedented).

"Hey Emmett?" I asked, watching him watch me eat. I swallowed my bite of burger.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you all buy food? Why don't you just not get anything? Everyone knows you don't eat anyway."

He thought for a moment.

"I'm not really sure. We just do it out of habit I guess. Try to look less conspicuous."

I laughed. Like that would help. I looked at the burger that sat uneaten on his tray.

"What would happen if you ate the burger?" I grinned at him. He scowled and looked down at the patty.

"I'll have to _regurgitate_ it later."

He looked up to see my reaction. I gave none, though I had to give him credit for word choice.

"Nice," I remarked dryly. He chuckled. "Does it taste bad?"

"Like dirt." Emmett grimaced at the memory. I had a pretty good idea how he knew what dirt tasted like, and how to compare it to the food.

Suddenly Alice and Edward laughed softly, simultaneously, and I grinned, knowing what they were seeing.

I looked up at Emmett, who was staring at Alice and Edward like they were crazy. I couldn't believe he hadn't caught on yet. So much for that incredible vampire brain. I picked a piece of bun off my burger and dangled it in front of his face.

"I dare you, Emmett Cullen, to eat your entire burger," I said. He stared at me, startled.

"I offer you," I dropped my voice dramatically, "a challenge."

Emmett's mouth dropped open and Alice, Edward, and Jasper burst out laughing, attracting a little bit of attention from the surrounding tables. I stared calmly at Emmett while he glared at me. I knew Emmett _could not_ resist a dare so I picked up his burger and offered it to him. Grimacing, he took it from my hands. He inspected it from every angle, while I laughed. I was starting to like the whole 'dare' circumstances. I may have to use it as a weapon later.

"We don't have all day Emmett," I said, smirking at him. He glared at me and stuffed the hamburger in his mouth. I stared at him, with my mouth hanging open as he swallowed.

"Whoa," was my comment. Emmett grinned at me, his mouth full of hamburger as he chewed.

"Gross!" I exclaimed, and shoved my tray at him. He pretended to try and kiss me with his mouth full, so I changed spots to sit next to Jasper and Alice. I hid behind Jasper as Emmett tried to grab me.

"I don't think she'll like that Emmett," Edward said, once Emmett gave up. I looked at him curiously and realized he was answering Emmett's thoughts. Emmett narrowed his eyes at me, and gave me a devilish grin.

"Like what?" I asked, suspicious. I didn't exactly want Emmett, a king of pranks, out to get me.

"Just watch what you drink," Alice whispered to me. My eyes widened and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. "I'll warn you. He's thinking about spiking a drink with laxatives." I glared in Emmett's direction. Yeah, that'd make a lovely picture. I could see it now…

_"Emmett, I just love you so much! Oh, hang on, I think I'm about to shit my pants."_

I would never live it down. Edward started cracking up, seeing what was going through my head. I grinned with him.

"He won't," Jasper said, shaking his head. "He just wanted to scare you."

"I can always change my mind." Emmett's grin was wicked and I gulped nervously. Everyone laughed at me. Jasper tapped my arm and I turned to look at him.

"Even if he does do it, I'm sure we can think of some brilliant way to make it backfire."

"What the hell can you do to a vampire?" I muttered. Jasper shrugged.

"I'll think of something."

I grinned at him.

"I'll hold you to that." Jasper smiled innocently. "But no damaging my boyfriend," I said, pointing my water bottle at him. Jasper chuckled and winked at me.

"Just look at it this way Rose; it's a _good_ thing vampires can't have kids."

My jaw dropped for a second time and Edward and Jasper burst out laughing together. Alice rolled her eyes at me and Emmett glared around the table.

"Just think of it as blackmail," I whispered across the table to Emmett, as everyone else continued laughing. He glared at me and came to sit beside me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"How am I supposed to get revenge?" he asked, and whipped my ponytail around at more than human speed. Alice slapped his arm down too hard, and the noise echoed throughout the cafeteria. All heads turned to see where it came from, but no one even looked toward our table. The acoustics were really terrible in here. No one seemed to notice any abnormal noises that came from our table.

"Suck it up," I said triumphantly. Emmett didn't look appeased. Then the bell rang and I hopped down from the table, waving good-bye. Emmett grabbed me around the waist and hugged me, while I wrestled away from him.

"Emmett! I'm going to be late for class!"

He let go and I could feel him watching me as I walked out of the cafeteria. I could also feel everyone else watching me as I left the cafeteria, further deepening the already rampant rumors.

Lauren's witness to our 'fun time' in the car had spread like wildfire around the school. Jasper, Edward and Alice didn't find it as amusing as Emmett and I did. It still made me laugh, remembering.

"You won't really, you know…will you?" I asked Jasper on the way to history. Jasper grinned and shook his head.

"No. But he doesn't know that. We can make him squirm a little."

I laughed with him, but examined his face while he chuckled. Jasper had always been the weakest link in the Cullen family, and somehow, that had formed a strange sort of bond between us. Maybe it was how he never really fit in with the rest of the Cullen's either; it felt good to have a fellow misfit. I grinned, liking the word. Misfit seemed an accurate description.

Jasper was, in a way, my best friend. Even Alice couldn't compete. Jasper had a sense about him that completely shoved my guard down. Alice made me feel a little shy at times and Edward and I didn't get along that well period. Jasper was just cool.

I smiled as I thought this. Who would have thought I had found a best friend in an out of control, blood thirsty, semi-brooding vampire? Fate must really be having a good laugh at me. Jasper noticed the change in my emotions, and looked at me curiously. I shrugged and smiled in response. Luckily he didn't know the reasons for the changes he felt. Together we endured our class and went our separate ways. I finished the day with Alice and together we walked back to Edward's car.

When we reached the car after school, Emmett was waiting for me, apparently over his lunch misfortune. Emmett let me slide in the car first, and then came in next to me. Alice sat beside Emmett.

As Edward backed out of the parking space, and into the flow of traffic, small conversations started in the car.

"Do you want to go down to Port Angeles next Friday?" Emmett asked me. I thought about this. It would be the first time I had really gotten out of the house since moving in with the Cullen's.

"Random," I commented, "but sure, it sounds great." I looked towards Edward. "Is there malicious intent in this request?"

Edward shook his head.

"No. He just wants to take you out."

I ignored the double meaning, though honestly I kind of wanted to laugh with the three of them. Alice on the other hand rolled her eyes very daintily and I turned to her.

"Alice?"

"I think it will be fine," she said, seemingly unconcerned.

"Thanks."

She shrugged and turned to talk to Jasper about something. I laid my head against the window as Edward rushed along the street.

We got home and everyone made their way inside. Emmett took my bag and ran it upstairs for me, while I gratefully entered the living room and flopped down on the couch. Carlisle wouldn't be home for a few more hours, but other than him, everyone was home. Edward sat down at his piano and Alice pulled out a book of designs she had left on the side table. Jasper sat on an arm chair across the room from me and picked up the news.

He had eight different papers; the Forks, Seattle, and Olympia newspapers, USA Today, and the New York Times. The other two were some international newspapers I had never heard of. He had a bundle of newspapers in different languages in a corner of his study, I had discovered one afternoon. I made it a note to ask him how many different languages he could speak.

Emmett was back downstairs, and he had even made me a snack. He brought it in on a painted glass plate and I looked down at it. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. And they were warm. I looked up at him questioningly.

"Esme made them," he explained.

"Ah," I said, relieved. "Thanks."

He kissed my cheek and handed me the novel that I was reading. I sighed happily. I really didn't deserve him. I lay back down on the couch and Emmett sat down next to my head. He put an arm over my shoulders and rubbed them gently. I settled down with my book and after about an hour, Emmett turned on the TV. He really enjoyed the crime genre, so I spent the next few hours listening to CSI, NCIS, and SVU. The list of acronyms confused me.

The next day I woke up to spots of sunlight on the ground. I sat up very fast and nearly slammed my head against Emmett's chin. He was propped up on one elbow next to me. I turned to face him.

"It's sunny out," I informed him. He laughed.

"Great observation babe. You're always so sharp in the morning."

"Shut up," I said, resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at him. "What does the sunlight mean? Does it burn you?" I hadn't thought about that before. I'd always thought the sunlight-vampire connection seemed a little silly.

"No, we don't burn."

I hated cryptic answers like that.

"So…what does it do?" I prompted. "Can you go out on sunny days?"

"No, we can't go out. I'll show you what I mean sometime."

I glanced at him frustrated.

"Can't you just tell me? Or, in light of the convenient sun, maybe show me?"

"Nice pun," he chuckled, and slid a hand through my hair. Self-consciously, I smoothed my hair down.

"It was unintentional," I growled. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"No. I like this. Suspense is good for the soul," he said, smirking.

"Ugh!" I groaned, throwing off the covers and getting up. I went next to the window and looked out across the forest. After so long without sunlight, it felt alien. I shivered and pulled some clothes out of the closet, going to change in the bathroom.

I was given Edward's car to drive to school. I grimaced as I pulled up in the parking lot. Apparently, the limits of the sunlight extended to school, so I was doomed to a day alone. I slunk into my first period alone and sat down. Everyone had seen the absence of the other Cullen's. I was utterly defenseless. Geometry was fine, and so was Spanish. Chemistry turned out to be alright. We had a lab and my partner, if not gracious, was polite enough to finish the assignment. Lunch was what worried me.

I stayed after class to confirm some questions on the lab report but eventually I had to make my way to the cafeteria alone. Inside, I found the courage to go in line by myself. And then I was really shocked. No one even looked at me. I was invisible to all but the lunch lady. I stepped out of the line to see my usual table still empty. Interesting. No one would step on the Cullen's turf even if they weren't there to claim it.

I sat down, and the food was tasteless. I was waiting. For what I wasn't sure, but I was waiting. When nothing happened by the ring of the bell, I was frozen in shock. I had been left undefended for an entire day. An entire lunch period alone. I smiled to myself as I threw away my trash and made my way to history. I missed walking with Jasper, and finding myself in a room full of juniors was a little unnerving, but I lived with six vampires all older than anyone in the school. So I managed.

I was used to gym class. Alice had it with me, but she had some excuse that got her out of it. She'd already "completed all her credits", or at least that's what it said on all the Cullen's transcripts. However, Forks High School had called to check up on me and found that I had only taken a year of gym, dooming me to take three more years. So Alice had a study hall in the gym, while I played soccer, volleyball, racquetball, and whatever else the coach dreamed up for the gym class victims.

By the end of the day, I was kind of enjoying the freedom. Alone time, though I missed my family, was beginning to be nice. So I took a little liberty with Edward's car and went to one of the family owned diners where I spread my homework across the table and ate a hamburger and fries. I didn't realize what time it was until the waitress dropped my bill off. I paid and got out of there, embarrassed that I had stayed so long. The day had remained sunny, but the light was now fading, so I went home.

I pulled into the garage and was accosted by a very annoyed Jasper.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" he asked as I pulled my backpack out of the car. He grabbed it for me, and I was grateful. It was heavy.

"It never rang," I argued, but pulled my phone out of my bag to look. It was on silent. And there were sixty missed calls from Jasper and Emmett. I held up my phone for his inspection.

"This is a little overboard," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm sure Alice knew exactly what I was going to do, and I'm sure that she told you. Why the obsessive calling?"

"We were worried." I looked up to see Emmett standing next to me.

"You? Worried?" I laughed. Emmett did too, apparently over his worry. Jasper shook his head and smiled.

"Just call next time, all right?" he grumbled. Emmett and I laughed at him.

"I'm sorry," Emmett stage-whispered. "I tried to rein him in."

"Oh no," I said. "Half those calls were from you. I lived pretty much on my own for sixteen years. I'm sure I can handle myself in Forks. Just trust me, ok?"

"It was weird," he protested. "I haven't gone without you for that long."

I gave him a look.

"Well, at least when I was gone before, I knew you were with Esme or someone."

I shook my head, kind of enjoying the power I had over him. He'd left me for hunting. Now I left him for some freedom. Boundaries were good.

"Obviously I'm fine. Separation is good for a relationship. It strengthens it," I teased. His look of disappointment made me backtrack. "It was only for one day Emmett. I need a little release sometimes. Being around vampires is not good for the self-esteem. I need a little…human time."

Emmett looked up at the ceiling in anguish.

"Human time?" He continued to mutter for the next five minutes as we walked inside and sat down. I was the only one who couldn't hear what he was saying. Apparently it was funny, because everyone had smiles on their faces.

"Geez Alice. Didn't you tell them where I was?" I asked her when we walked through the door.

"Like they ever listen to me," she said. I laughed. The whole family relied on Alice's visions constantly.

"Couldn't you calm them down at all?"

She shrugged.

"If they want to play God, I won't interfere."

"Play God?" I asked.

"They like being in control," she said. "You are too independent for them."

I raised my eyebrows at the two that she spoke of.

"Relax Rose. I'm just kidding. They were just worried about you. Just make sure to turn your phone on, alright?"

"Ok, ok," I mumbled. "But I'm not going to check in with everything I want to do. You guys are more controlling than half the parents in Forks."

"We care about you. We just want to make sure you're ok."

"If you guys can leave me alone to go hunting, you can respect my space and let me do what I want."

"That's different," Emmett argued.

"How?" I asked, turning to face him.

"You're human. Anything could happen to you."

Seriously? It was one afternoon off.

"Emmett, you can't protect me every second of every day. And anyway, about three-fourths of the danger I'm in is here. You are all more dangerous than anything out there."

I was satisfied with the looks on their faces. They understood what I was saying. I took a breath.

"So just…let me have some time. I love you all, but you all have your own thing. I want my time too."

They all exchanged glances.

"Ok." Emmett grabbed my hand. "My bad."

I laughed.

"We've never had to worry about a human before. We're new to this thing too," Alice reminded me.

"I know. That's why I'm…expressing my opinion. Communication is key, right?"

"And Rose is good at communicating," Jasper murmured. I glared at him. He grinned. "What? I gave you a compliment."

I continued to glare.

"So we're clear?" I asked. "Space? Time? Mine?"

Edward snorted. I ignored him. Everyone else nodded and went back to what they were doing.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey, sorry everyone. I keep forgetting to put in a disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or any aspects of it.

Read and please review, those reviews make my day :)

* * *

By Friday I could barely stand the suspense. It was exciting to get out of Forks and as soon as school released, I raced down the hall and out to the car, Alice walking calmly beside me. I slipped on the ice hidden under the snow, and Emmett, who was already waiting by the car, caught me before I slammed into the side of the silver Volvo. His boisterous laugh was like surround sound. Almost everyone in the parking lot turned to stare at us. I blushed deeply, my face probably turning an interesting shade of red. I turned to get into the car.

"Watch your step, freak," some idiot muttered as he walked past us. The wound was present again, and I was reminded of the week before. I had taken a lot during the past two weeks, but this was the third direct insult, and I finally decided that I was pissed off, not hurt. I looked at Jasper. He shook his head, silently telling me to ignore it. Calming waves ran through my body and I instantly felt better; happier. I made a move to get into the Volvo, but Emmett's hands were still locked on my wrists.

"Emmett," I said, jerking away from him. He didn't move. "Emmett? Emmett!"

His hands were tightening on my wrists as he glared menacingly at the boy who had spoken. It was beginning to be painful and I struggled. Then I hissed in pain as the force threatened to fracture bones and Emmett abruptly released my hands. The blood flowing into them made my hands throb uncomfortably; it felt like needles were entering my veins.

"Ow," I commented.

"Sorry," he muttered still glaring at the person who had spoken, a dark haired boy who hung out with Jessica. The rest of his family watched him with wary eyes. Edward and Jasper in particular looked anxious. I wondered what was going through Emmett's mind; what he was feeling. With all my limited force, I pulled on Emmett's arm. He still didn't move. Then Jasper pushed him towards the car, and he seemed to wake up.

"It's ok," I told him shakily. "Let's go."

As we sat in the car, Emmett examined my hands. The wrists were lined with harsh, angry red lines. He gently rubbed them.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry," he murmured repeatedly. He kissed the top of my head. "Sorry." Now he put my hands to his lips and kissed my wrists. His cool mouth gave comfort to my burning wrists, though I could see the desire burning in his eyes, so I pulled away quickly. When we reached the house, he carried me inside; sweeping me into his arms so fast I didn't have time to protest.

"Emmett, put me down," I said softly. He did just inside the front door. "It's ok. Just relax."

He released an iota of tension in his shoulders. I sighed.

Inside, I walked upstairs, as Emmett explained to Esme what had happened. She had run out to the car as soon as it pulled into the driveway. I wondered how she knew something was wrong. In the bathroom, I looked at my face. My blue-grey eyes were bloodshot and dark circles were prominent; I suppose from the stress and sometimes sleepless nights I'd been having lately. I sighed and reached for the concealer. Then I heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Come in," I called, unnecessarily. Any one of the vampires could have heard my softest whisper. To my surprise, Jasper walked in.

"Hey," I said. He fidgeted with a makeup brush sitting on the counter.

"Are you alright? I thought for a second there you were going to pass out when Emmett didn't let go…are you alright?" he asked again, reaching out to touch my eyelids. I closed my eyes and his cool fingers felt so good; something like putting cucumbers on your eyes when you went to the spa. Not that I'd ever been to a spa. But still. He pulled back and I opened my eyes. He winced and I looked away. I didn't look _that_ bad.

"You need to be sleeping better. We heard you tossing and turning, but we all thought you were asleep. Even Edward. Did you know he can't see your dreams?"

He can't? That's interesting.

"Oh?" I said, leaning towards the mirror to apply the makeup. No way was I going to tell him I was having nightmares. My chest tightened involuntarily as I remembered waking up from them. I always woke up in a cold sweat. Always it was the same one I had the first night Emmett had gone hunting. Jasper noticed my moment of terror and took another step toward me. I grinned at him, pretending to be unconcerned, although inside I was still shuddering.

"I guess it has just been the stress and nerves. Maybe a night out will help," I suggested. Jasper didn't look convinced.

"Maybe…"

I turned to smile at Jasper, trying to hide my emotions. He had enough trouble of his own, what with controlling his thirst and all. I didn't want him to be worried about me, though I suspected a sleepy ambiance would be emanating from him tonight. I brushed out my hair quickly. Jasper sighed and turned to leave. To my surprise, he turned back around and gave me a hug. I would have relaxed if I hadn't been so astonished.

It was very quick; probably all he could ask of his self-control. I knew what an amazing feat it was for him to accomplish, so I smiled at him as he fled the room. He would know I was happy. Jasper definitely wasn't 'touchy feely', so I knew this meant a lot coming from him. I was cheerful as I finished putting on a small bit of makeup; lip gloss, mascara, and eyeliner. I washed my hands and the red marks faded somewhat. I frowned and put a bit of cover-up on them. I sighed. Now they just looked like red marks with makeup on them. I washed them again.

After I finished, I changed into the wool mini-dress Alice had laid out for me. It was burgundy and a pair of black tights were laid out next to a pair of black ballet flats. My hair was…not good, so I swept it back into a messy ponytail, leaving my bangs out, and put the gold jewelry on that was laid out on my bathroom counter. I walked into my room.

"Are we going or what?" Emmett asked at the doorway, holding out my black leather coat for me. I jumped at the sound of his voice. He smirked. I swept past him as he gestured for me to go in front, like a proper gentleman. I giggled for this was so unlike his normal behavior. Then I realized he was probably making fun of me. I turned around to stick my tongue out at him, but he was gone. I turned back around in confusion, and I felt his strong arms around my waist from the back. I twisted my head around to see his face. There was a silly grin on it that made me smile.

"Are we going or what?" I asked mockingly. He shoved me, lightly, playfully, I suppose, for him. Though as I inspected my arm, I guessed a bruise would be appearing tomorrow. He grinned sheepishly at me. Emmett wasn't as worried with 'breaking' me as the rest of his family was. I rubbed my arm. It really hurt. Living with vampires took much more adjusting than I had anticipated.

In the garage I walked to Edward's Volvo, but Emmett shook his head, looking malicious.

"We're taking my car, babe," he said proudly.

"And this car would be where?" I demanded. He pointed to a _huge_ red Jeep. Wow.

"Is the car the babe, or am I?" I asked him as I walked over to the Jeep as he got the keys.

"Definitely you," he said without hesitation. I flashed him a smile. Then I tried hopping into the Jeep, but I couldn't reach. I attempted the jump a few more times, reached the foothold and slipped. I gasped as I landed on my butt, the breath knocked out of me.

"Ow," I said, almost in surprise. I really thought I had jumped high enough. I heard a thunderous roaring laugh, and I turned to glare at Emmett.

"Thanks for the help," I muttered. This only made him laugh harder.

"I think I owe you for a game of monopoly _and_ a burger. You thought you were off the hook, didn't you?" he said, his expression teasing. I didn't find it nearly as funny as he did.

Sourly, I stood up and found a stool leaning against the wall. Emmett watched me, his laugh reduced to a loud chuckle. He snickered at I practically threw the stool on the ground and hoisted myself up to my seat. Childishly, I turned away from him, only to see him in the driver's seat.

Damn vampires.

Apparently he read my thoughts on my face, and he began his booming laugh again.

I was still glaring out the side window when Jasper peeked in the garage, probably to see what was going on. Edward appeared next to him with a grin and whispered in his ear. Then Jasper looked at me and burst out laughing. The combination of the laugh of three, very loud, male vampires was deafening and probably the most embarrassing thing I had ever experienced.

Soon I was blushing furiously, my glare deepening when I realized that it was kind of funny. But I refused to give in. I bit my lip in a last attempt to control the giggle building up inside me, but I knew Edward and Jasper both knew what I was doing. I took a deep breath, and managed to contain it, but my lips twitched, and I knew all of them noticed it. Finally, Emmett regained control, and we left. If Emmett could cry, I swear he would have been wiping his eyes by now. I glared at Jasper and Edward as we backed out, which only fueled their sniggers.

Damn vampires.

The whole ride to Port Angeles, I was silent. Emmett was too busy shaking his head at me and chuckling to start a conversation. About halfway through the ride I did turn on some music, and listened to that, while Emmett still seemed amused by my immature behavior. That just served to piss me off even more. I put on a classical CD I had borrowed from Edward just to annoy Emmett. He hated classical. About halfway there, he removed the CD, finally too irritated, and we sat in silence.

When we arrived I looked at the how far away the ground was. I sighed and got ready to jump. I looked up to see Emmett standing in front of me. He was about as tall as the Jeep, his arms reaching my seat. He had finally stopped smiling, and his sad, puppy-dog expression made me grin.

"Ok, ok. I forgive you," I said. He returned my smile. "Let's go."

"I didn't know you could be that stubborn. You've got some crazy endurance, girl," he told me. He grabbed me around the waist and swung me onto the wet pavement, slick with ice. He kept one hand around my hips as we walked down the street, probably to keep me from slipping. His height and obvious strength kept everyone away from us, casting wary glances our way.

"Hey….Emmett?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" he replied casually.

"I was wondering…why did you get so upset when that guy called me a freak? And when Jessica said that crap? I mean…I'd just think that you'd brush it off and call them stupid."

His hand loosened its grip on mine momentarily, and then tightened again. I looked around and saw a park bench a couple hundred feet away. I tugged gently on his hand and pulled him toward it.

As we approached the downtown, Emmett broke our comfortable silence.

"I have to go pick up some things for Carlisle. Some new hospital equipment came in and asked me to get it since we were going to be down here. Do you want to find a place to eat while I pick it up?"

"Ok. Do you want me to call…?" I started to ask; then I remembered my scent. Emmett would have no problem tracking me. "Alright, I'll see you soon," I said reluctantly.

"It'll probably take a while, so you can go ahead and order." A sly look entered his eyes. "You know I always get the same thing." He widened his eyes dramatically. "Blood," he said, with a thick Russian accent. I laughed and smacked his arm and walked across the street.

Emmett really could be cheesy sometimes, but he was so sweet.

I left Emmett, walking about two blocks down to find a row of empty businesses. I sighed and looked backwards. It was pointless to go back. I decided to keep going and turn at the next street. Maybe I would find something. Then I stopped. Something felt weird. I felt a strange pull, like I should turn around and go back to Emmett. I resisted and kept walking. I was almost there.

It was beginning to get dark, with the sunset colors dashing across the sky. Lamps along the street were beginning to light. Emmett said he would be preoccupied for a while so I took my time walking and admiring the sky. I continued walking until I saw three men, about eighteen or nineteen years old. As I got closer, I realized I recognized them. They were from my old school. The school was in Seattle though, so I didn't know what they were doing here. I began to turn around, but apparently they recognized me too. They called my name. I reluctantly turned back.

The two boys, (well, men) Evan and Lucas, were notorious for being violent. They were in a gang. Now, I was alone, with no weapons or witnesses, and I was too stubborn to run away.

The third guy was turned so I couldn't see his face. He looked kind of familiar, but I couldn't place him. Finally he faced me and I sucked in a breath. He grinned, enjoying my shock. It was my ex-boyfriend, the one I told Emmett about. I was suddenly thrown back in time, and the experience was severely unnerving.

_I opened the car door and slipped inside. I laughed as Jason handed me a blanket and cocoa. _

"_Only you," I teased. _

"_Only _for_ you," he said, smiling. His hair hung in his face and I brushed a strand out of the way, kissing him lightly on the mouth. Of course, he wasn't a fan of light kissing and he pressed harder. I smiled into the kiss. _

"_So where are we going?" I asked as he started the car. _

"_You'll see," he said seriously, pulling into traffic. I laughed and didn't bother him. And then we found ourselves at a hotel. A very nice hotel. _

"_What is this?" I asked, confused. _

"_I thought that you might want to get away for a weekend. So I saved up."_

_And I stared at him, fairly certain that I knew what he meant. _

"_Ok," I said slowly. "Wow. This is…amazing Jason."_

"_I hoped that you'd like it."_

_We sat silently for a moment._

"_Well, let's go see what it looks like, hmm?" _

_I nodded happily and he grabbed a backpack out of the backseat. _

"_Supplies," he said. I grinned and he shut off the car. We ran inside, him clutching my hand, fighting the cold. His warm grasp seemed to breathe fire into me so I wasn't cold when we finally reached the door. Inside, the concierge gave us 'the look', but I was too happy to notice it. _

_Upstairs, on the sixteenth level, Jason opened the door to our room with gusto. And he swung me up in his arms, carrying me inside, wedding style. I laughed as he dropped me on the bed. My head hit the pillows with a satisfying thump. I closed my eyes as my head sunk back. Jason rubbed the top of my hand, sitting next to me. I opened my eyes and turned toward him, smiling. _

"_You like it?" he asked. _

"_Of course," I said, snuggling into his chest. He curled up, making a cavity for me to crawl inside of. He kissed the top of my head. I fell asleep for a little bit, and when I woke up, I saw Jason asleep too. He was such a sound sleeper that I sat up, away from his grasp. I watched his chest as he took slow, even breaths._

_He was sprawled unevenly on the bed. I smiled and ran my fingers along the frayed him of his coat sleeve. I held his hand, brushing my fingertips on the silver band he wore on his middle finger. He still didn't move. I moved my gaze to the dark rims around his eyes. I hadn't noticed until now, but they were darker than usual. And I realized that, no matter how hard he tried to seem infallible, he was pushing himself too hard. _

_I dropped my eyes to the blanket. I knew that Jason wanted to make tonight special for me, but I wanted it to be special for him. He needed it, deserved it. _

_It wasn't until later that night that he even tried. We sat in our suite, watching TV on the couch. We'd gone swimming earlier. He'd ordered room service while I was in the shower and we were now ignoring the tray of dishes sitting on the table beside us, waiting to be taken away._

_It felt good. Knowing that we didn't have to do or worry about anything for an entire weekend. I was completely relaxed as I leaned against him. And he seemed the same way. _

_He started kissing my neck. Even now, after all these months, it still gave me goosebumps. I leaned my head forward, letting him trail kisses up to my temple, and then down my back. His hands touched the hem of my sweatshirt and we lifted it up, off my head. It got stuck, and we had to pull it, but we just smiled at each other, me a little shy, and Jason confident enough to make me feel better. _

_My long sleeved shirt was still on. Jason pulled me up off the couch, and I came willingly, trying to figure out how to get as close to him as possible. His thumbs brushed my hip bones, and his hands danced up my stomach, lifting the shirt up. It seemed to take forever before he was finished, and I could slip his t-shirt off. _

_Jason put his hands around the back of my neck, pulling me close, kissing me hard. I wrapped my hands around his waist, pressing up, getting closer. He released one hand down my back, trailing down my arm. I stiffened, and Jason slowed. Once his hand touched the scars I felt my stomach drop and I jumped away reflexively. With two feet now between us, I shivered in my bra, staring at him, him staring at the scars. _

"_Rose?" Jason asked, his eyes jumping to my face questioningly. And then the mood was gone. "What the hell?" _

"_I didn't…I meant to….I quit, I just didn't know how to tell-" _

_He glared at me, angry, betrayed, and I cringed. _

"_How could you not tell me about this?" he demanded. "Why did you…how could you…"_

"_I'm sorry," I whispered. _

"Nice to see you again Rosie," Jason said. I just stared at him in shock, not even comprehending the sound of my old nickname coming from his mouth. His voice had torn me out of my memory and I was dizzy.

"Jason?" I breathed.

"Lookin' fine tonight Rosalie," Evan, the tallest of the three, drawled. I could smell the beer on him fifty feet away. I shook off my stupor and ignored him.

"What are you doing here? Did you lose a bet Jason? Never knew you to hang out with them," I asked, trying to disguise my fear and breathlessness. He grinned at me again and I was angry that I still felt my heart flip.

"Nah. I just make special trips with my brothers to help out my best clients."

He waved a little plastic bag at me.

"You're a drug dealer?"

I was astounded. He had always hated them; his parents were both addicts. I remembered the times he would pick me up with a case filled with drugs that his parents hid around the house. He used to take me with him when he went to the cliffs to throw the box into the ocean. I looked at his eyes. They seemed normal. Even if he was dealing, he wasn't using. Not that I could detect anyway.

He shrugged.

"Why so shocked? It's about as bad as you cutting yourself."

That was so not true.

"I stopped a long time ago, you know that! I stopped weeks before that night!"

He flashed me a smile, and I was angry that I'd let him get to me like that. He looked me up and down.

"Find some nice rich bastard? Are you his whore now?"

I swung a fist but he ducked. They all laughed.

"Your fighting skills haven't improved much."

"Asshole," I seethed. I kicked his knee. He stumbled but didn't fall.

"I have plenty in stock." He offered me the plastic package. "You look like you could use some."

I pulled him away from the other two.

"Drug dealing is serious Jason. God, how did you get into this?"

He crossed his arms and I saw the tattoo on his forearm.

"A gang. Nice. Coming from the guy who always swore he wouldn't get mixed up in all that crap?"

He walked toward me.

"You don't understand," he said. I scoffed at him, and he looked like he was going to hit me. Luckily, I managed not to flinch.

"I have a family now. Everyone in that gang is my brother, including Evan and Lucas. They have my back."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. His look was so intense, like he actually believed it.

"You think so? You think that those two would help you out if you were in a fight and seriously outnumbered? You'd trust _them_? And what if you wanted out of the gang? Would they be so willing to just let you go? You're a prisoner in their gang. Get real."

He stepped forward and grasped my wrists gently. I almost softened. When he was being a jerk, I could always defy him. Now I was unsure.

"Come back with me Rosie. You would have protection. We could be together again. I miss you," he whispered. I shook my head.

"I have a real family now. They _adopted_ me. And I have a…a boyfriend."

If you could call Emmett my boyfriend; such an inadequate term came unwillingly from my lips. The situation was obviously more than precarious, and boyfriend was so mundane.

I looked at Jason. I still cared for him, though my feelings didn't come close to what I felt for Emmett.

"Come live in my town. You could get a new life, get out of this thing," I murmured softly so only he could hear me. He shook his head and for one minute looked really scared.

"I can't," he whispered. He looked like a little boy; just like Emmett when he was unsure. I stared at him, unnerved. I'd never seen this side of him before. He knew he was trapped, but, unlike me, he didn't see a way out. And I couldn't stand seeing him that way. I felt my stomach pull in half.

"Yes you can!"

"No."

I glared.

"They'd find me Rosie. I can't get out of this thing. Not this time."

He didn't realize that he could be protected by a clan of vampires. And he'd probably force me to the hospital if I tried to explain it to him, and make sure I was locked in the mental ward.

"You're just as stupid as always, especially if you're hanging out with these two." I was pissed, and my words came out harsher than I meant them to. That was when I realized that Evan and Lucas had slowly crept up behind us, hearing the end of our conversation. Jason realized this too and a panicked look crossed his face. At first I thought it was for himself, of being attacked by the gang. But then I looked at Evan and Lucas.

I recognized the look in their eyes, and I tried to run, but I slipped on the melting ice, and one of them landed on top of me. I couldn't believe this was happening. I knew how to defend myself. This stupid mistake was going to be difficult to reverse. I was completely pinned down.

The person on top of me flipped me over and I saw it was Evan. He was bigger than Lucas, so I had less advantage. Lucas joined him and together they lifted me up and threw me into the window of one of the empty shops. The glass shattered, and the shards sprinkled to the ground. When I landed inside I felt a sharp stinging all throughout my stomach and up my left arm. They jumped over the broken glass and walked casually toward me. My soft leather coat had been ripped literally to shreds and I shivered, the smell of blood rolling my stomach and making me dizzy.

In the dark, I saw a silver gleam as a knife was revealed. One of them pinned me down, while I struggled, watching that knife. When the knife came too close, I lost it. This was not happening. I might not be able to hold my own against vampires, but human boys were no problem. Usually.

Jason just watched as I struggled. To a bit of his credit, he didn't look like he enjoyed it at all. In fact, he looked a little sick. And that's when I realized that he was holding his stomach. Dark liquid dripped through his fingers. He gave me a pained look, and fell to his knees.

No. God no.

Oh my God.

"Let me go, dammit!" I shouted, crying. "LET. ME. GO!"

Of course, they didn't listen. I thrashed against the grip pinning me to the floor, and felt a tiny bit of satisfaction when he winced as my knee connected with his inner thigh. I got in a few more kicks, but none caused enough damage to give way for an escape.

I saw a sudden flash of silver swipe through the air. Then time seemed to slow down. A searing pain ripped across my cheek. The cut went bone deep, I was sure.

I screamed. Why wasn't Emmett coming? Why wasn't anyone coming? I was screaming loud enough to cause an earthquake. I screamed again as one of them kicked me in the stomach, driving the shards of glass deeper.

A sudden shadow made the men drop the knife and release their hold on me. They backed away slowly. Ignoring them, though I knew it must be difficult, Emmett grabbed me in his arms and shot off to the Jeep.

"Jason," I sobbed. "Emmett, Jason's-"

But I couldn't finish the sentence. I was out of breath. Emmett probably knew anyway.

I was gasping in pain when he laid me in the back seat, covering me with a blanket hidden under the chair. The movement jostled me and I cringed in pain as the cuts in my stomach and arm blazed. Emmett jumped at my small scream and winced. He ran around and slipped in the front seat and the phone was too his ear. He sped down the street, probably going more than one hundred miles an hour, though I couldn't be sure.

"Carlisle? Something happened. I'm bringing her home…Alice saw this?...No, I left my phone in the car…Glass embedded in her arm and stomach. Knife wound in her right cheek…deep…ok." Emmett snapped the phone shut.

"Rose?" his voice was terse. He wasn't breathing. I realized the blood must be becoming too much for him. I winced as I thought of the pain he must be in. I tried to calm down, stop the blood flow. I watched a steady drip fall onto the floor of the jeep. Ugh.

"Yeah?" I whispered. I closed my eyes tight as my head swam. When I opened them, he started speaking again.

"Carlisle is meeting us on the road home. He'll…" his voice drifted off. I could see his face in the rearview mirror and I watched him close his eyes, and breathe deeply. I closed my eyes too, intuition telling me to run. This could not be good.

"Yeah?" I asked. He didn't respond. "Emmett?" I opened my eyes. "Em?" I whispered, a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Suddenly the Jeep fell into a ditch on the side of the road. Before I could figure out what was happening, Emmett was over me, his face pulled back in a horrible grimace. I'd never seen something so…terrifying. It was like a nightmare. His face was maniacal.

"Em?" I whispered. His lips were suddenly at my neck; I could feel them brush, and I knew it was the end. I was glad he had my head pinned to the seat; I didn't want to see his face like that again.

I wondered vaguely if it would hurt.

Then, like a ghost, he was gone and Carlisle was over me. Carlisle? There was no pain in my neck, so I knew I hadn't been bit. I heard a loud crash and tried to look over my shoulder. Growls punctuated the night. Jasper? Edward?

"Carlisle? What's going on?" I asked in confusion, my voice fading fast.

"I'll explain later. Jasper and Edward are taking care of Emmett. Right now, we need to get out of here."

"Wait-"

Suddenly, I was flying. I supposed I had died, but the damn pain didn't stop. I looked up to see Carlisle. He held me in his arms. We were running. I heard a sound like the roar of a bear behind me. Before I could contemplate this, the world went dark.

When I awoke, I was still in severe pain. Carlisle was leaning over me, picking out all the glass in my stomach. No one else was around. Scalding heat ripped through my abdomen and a large piece was pulled out. I bit my lip to keep from screaming and a sob began to wrack through me. Carlisle didn't have time to comfort me; he was too busy. Each piece he pulled out was agony. At least no one was here to see me suffer; weak like the human I was. I felt a small prick on the vein in my right arm. Morphine. I began to drift to sleep though the hurting never stopped.


End file.
